They say time heals all wounds. But some wounds seep down to a more intrinsic level and become difficult to shake off. Ones that are intolerable not because of how much they hurt you, but because of the egregious nature they came about in. Enough time has passed since the NFL Draft, since Shedeur Sanders– as he often tends to do- became the epicenter of football discourse. Except this time, the chatter transcended football and went mainstream. So his inexplicable, at least at the time, slide to the 5th round continues to spawn hot takes and opinions. This one comes courtesy of a former All-Pro NFL vet. Who seems to have been hurt deeply by Shedeur’s muddled ascension from the collegiate game to the big league.
There’s little that isn’t known or hasn’t been spoken to ad nauseam in the aftermath of Shedeur Sanders’ now infamous draft slide. For the uninitiated, here’s a quick rundown. The Colorado QB and Deion Sanders’ son was, in the consensus, a projected first-round pick. What he put on tape merited it, and every credible draftnik or analyst concurred. However, that’s not how things transpired. It’s been alleged that him going from a Day 1 lock to Day 3 has got to do with putting a poor account of himself in meetings with NFL coaches and brass. Which contradicts the historic precedent set by the league. Which has tended to look past much worse in favor of talent. Alas, this is perhaps baked into Adam “Pacman” Jones absolutely seething at how this ordeal played out. In particular, where Shedeur Sanders ultimately wound up- The Cleveland Browns.
Having played in the league for north of a decade, Pacman Jones is privy to how the Browns have essentially been in perpetual purgatory. Struggling to breach that glass ceiling looming over their heads and become competitive over a sustained period of time. Jones, being a cornerback, also probably holds Deion Sanders in very high esteem. These two factors in tandem may have caused him to digress into a very explicit rant about Shedeur Sanders landing at what he called “the worst team” in the NFL. Speaking over his “Politely Raw! Pacman Jones Show” platform, the show’s namesake didn’t mince his words whatsoever.
The worst m—–f—— team that could have picked [Shedeur Sanders],” said Adam Jones. “I don’t know if y’all have seen the interview of the f—–g [GM]. This f—–g guy have no clue about nothing that he is saying. Andrew Berry, shove it up your a–! One of the worst interviews I’ve ever seen a GM do about a player that they drafted.” Pacman proceeded to elaborate on the Browns’ GM’s interview and his gripe with it. “He said what we already know. ‘We expect [Shedeur] to come in and work hard…Nothing’s given to you’…He’s a f—–g fifth-round pick! You got five other quarterbacks, bro. This s–t got me hot bro,” he said. Safe to say he’s not too pleased. Jones even went on to make a demand of Shedeur Sanders’ agent and representatives. A hypothetical demand that, if played out, derails his NFL career before it even begins.
“If I’m [Shedeur Sanders’] agent, we’re trying to figure out if we can go anywhere besides here. ‘Let’s get the f–k out of here.” said Pacman Jones. Reiterating his stance on the Browns franchise. Well, more conventional wisdom would suggest Shedeur Sanders just needs to take his medicine, put his head down and go to work. Earn back what he lost through the draft process by showcasing his repertoire of skills in practice. Which is what he seems to be doing. Reports out of the Browns’ rookie minicamp say Shedeur went about remedying things and found success. While Pacman isn’t necessarily wrong about the Browns’ great track record, especially with developing young quarterbacks, it’s the cards that Shedeur has been dealt. Even Deion Sanders has made peace with it. But he doesn’t want to lose sight of the context around how his son’s draft shook out.
Deion Sanders shouts out and shows love to Shedeur Sanders’ biggest proponent
If you were to rank people most disgusted and appalled by Shedeur Sanders’ fall to round 5, ESPN analyst Mel Kiper Jr. would come in right towards the top. The manner in which Kiper was seething, while live on the broadcast, became a plot line in itself. He had Shedeur down as his No.1 quarterback in the class. So you can understand how his emotions spilled over when his credibility as an analyst was inadvertently affected by Shedeur’s slide. Kiper can take solace now, though, as things have settled down. Deion Sanders has given him props for riding with his son and persistently reminding the national audience of how Shedeur’s talent isn’t equating in accordance with his draft stock.
Deion Sanders took to X and quoted a previous post by Mel Kiper. “I Love u my man! You stood on the desk with great balance 10 toes down and said what u said & didn’t flinch. You knew what time it was my man & we’re blessed to be right where God wanted us to be. “With OPPORTUNITY”, wrote Coach Prime. In one fell swoop, he’s addressed both his appreciation for Kiper and the Sanders’ stance on how they’re raring to tackle the opportunity with the Browns head-on.
As cliched as it sounds, the real story begins AFTER you’ve been drafted. Ask Tom Brady: That draft position can be made to look merely arbitrary. But you do need an environment and coaching staff conducive to growth. Pacman Jones will tell you Shedeur Sanders doesn’t have that with the Browns. But hey, Shedeur Sanders did promise to change the culture of whatever organization he goes to at the Combine.
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