The elephant in the room is getting bigger and bigger, and not one NFL team has come out and addressed it. 32 NFL teams and their GMs decided to pass on Shedeur Sanders, who was just sitting behind Cam Ward in the pre-draft process. We still don’t know what actually happened behind the scenes. Heck, we don’t even know why the Browns decided to draft Shedeur in their QB room when they already drafted Oregon’s Dillon Gabriel. So, amid these looming questions, a former Florida legend chose to speak some brutal truth.
Let’s clear one thing first: both Shedeur and Dillon Gabriel are talented in their own right. But can Shedeur ever be said to be better than Cam Ward? Well, it’s a table thumping no! For starters, Cam Ward didn’t have Travis Hunter, probably the best two-way star ever to grace the CFB field. And yet? Cam Ward’s number looks far more stellar than what Shedeur Sanders produced.
Last season, Cam Ward was more efficient than Shedeur Sanders, as he had 48.4% accuracy in tight windows. Moreover, the sack rate of the QB was also incredible, as Ward had just a 16.4% pressure-to-sack ratio. Add to that the QB’s scrambling ability makes his case to be a less polished Patrick Mahomes. But that’s not to say Shedeur lagged far behind the former Miami QB. The Browns QB’s main weakness was his average arm talent and more reliance on timing than velocity. Add to that the sacks that Shedeur faced (80) over the two years at Buffs, didn’t bolster the case of him being ahead of Cam Ward. But that is not to say that he deserved to go behind Jaxson Dart, as a case can be made for his quality when you compare him to the Giants QB. But despite all of this, why the massive downgrade?
Channing Crowder, the former Gators linebacker, placed Shedeur above Dillon Gabriel but below Cam Ward, whom he described as a ‘monster’. ” They (Browns) drafted the little Samoan boy from Oregon (Dillon Gabriel), Shedeur is better than him. Shedeur is not Cam Ward. Cam Ward is better than Shedeur, and I told everybody coming out, Cam Ward is a monster“. After bolstering Cam Ward’s case, Crowder, speaking on the ‘Morning Hustle Show,’ provided the brutally honest reason for Shedeur’s draft slip.
“He did have one of the best athletes ever to play football as a receiver (Travis Hunter), and he still couldn’t beat Cam Ward in numbers. It did hurt him that his dad is Deion. It did hurt him, that teams don’t want that headache. Deion Sanders is walking opposite every day getting interviewed on Twitter, on TikTok, Instagram. Teams really take all that into account.” At last, Channing also put himself in the NFL coaches’ situation and said, “He’s not good enough to bring a headache at my facility, that’s why he went down in the draft.”
Well, most of us can agree on the fact that Shedeur was not better than Cam Ward in key metrics last year. Even so, did he deserve to be drafted in the fifth round? No! The QB’s case, in that sense, is more motivated by his media and limelight than his personal ability. And it’s understandable, too, since NFL teams wouldn’t want any backup bringing that much limelight into their locker room. Something we have seen before, too, and it’s a cautionary tale.
Maybe teams are becoming more cautious after Johnny Manziel’s debacles, and in 2014, as he became a high-profile bust after getting selected in the first round? Manzeil’s case also becomes interesting since the QB also brought in high media hype and limelight with him, Moreover, his allegedly ‘brash’ persona and off-field controversies overshadowed his career. All this can be a worry for Shedeur, too, but unless teams come out and address the issue publicly? The elephant in the room will get bigger and bigger.
Deion Jr Comes Out in Dillon Gabriel’s Support
Many people, including Channing Crowder, have said that Dillon Gabriel wasn’t good enough to have been drafted above Shedeur. But in his case, the former QB, after being drafted, is still facing criticism and, on some occasions, trolling too, which was never his fault. So amid that speculation and criticisms came Deion Jr’s message on the whole issue.
In a recent video posted by ‘Seesatansports’ on YouTube, the elder brother of Shedeur Sanders can be seen urging people not to ‘hate’ on Dillon Gabriel. “Show love to everybody, bro, stop causing division on that team, man. Everybody’s young dude trynna reach their goals, man, so show love to everybody, bro. Show love to the 1st round picks, show love to Gabriel. Don’t hate Gabriel, bro, love to my brother. You know I’m saying, you can support both of them, bro trynna reach his dreams too.”
Bucky’s message, amid increasing public scrutiny, is powerful and may act as a shield in that scenario. Gabriel undoubtedly is also talented in his own right since he produced more than 4,000 yards and went undefeated in the regular season. And doing that in the Big 10? Well, if Gabriel deserves anything, then it’s respect, nothing else. No doubt, the message will unite the Browns’ locker room, which already has a 4-way QB battle coming in.
The post Florida Legend’s Big Cam Ward Admission Comes at Shedeur Sanders’ Expense as Deion Jr Unites Browns Locker Room appeared first on EssentiallySports.
