Shedeur Sanders is officially a Cleveland Brown after enduring three long days of waiting during the NFL Draft. While the weekend marked the realization of his lifelong dream, it also tested him mentally, as he watched name after name be called before his. Despite being selected in the fifth round, Sanders' confidence appears unshaken.
In the aftermath of the draft, speculation grew over what caused his unexpected slide. Some pointed fingers at his family, while others suggested his interviews with teams played a major role—going so far as to accuse Sanders of tanking them intentionally.
“At some of those [combine] meetings with certain teams that maybe Shedeur Sanders didn’t really want to go to... I was told that he more or less sandbagged in those interviews... I don’t know if he didn’t take them seriously, what it was, but he did not give it his all in some of those interviews,” Jonathan Jones said.
One team that considered drafting Sanders was the New York Giants. However, head coach Brian Daboll reportedly tested him during the interview process—and it didn’t go over well.
“The Giants one, they give players an install, and there are mistakes intentionally put in the install,” Albert Breer said. “He didn’t catch them and got called on it, and it didn’t go well after that. … He was pissed that they did that to him.”
Daboll’s tactic highlighted a potential lack of preparation. In contrast, the Giants’ first-round pick, Jaxson Dart, reportedly impressed during his interviews. Meanwhile, Sanders' meeting with New York was apparently so poor that it sparked legal concerns.
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“I’m told the footage of Shedeur Sanders’ meeting with the Giants is so bad that both the Browns and Sanders family have threatened legal action if it is published,” Wesley Steinberg posted.
If true, this paints a concerning picture for Sanders. Struggling to identify issues on film during an interview may signal deeper challenges at the next level—and that could make the transition to the NFL even tougher.