Colorado football legend Shedeur Sanders is a hot topic of conversation in the NFL right now. The former Buffaloes quarterback was recently drafted by the Cleveland Browns, but he fell to them in the fifth round.
Once projected as a top-five pick, Sanders saw his stock plummet due to negative reports on his pre-draft interview and his pre-draft meetings with various teams.
Shedeur’s father, Deion, also seemed to play a role in the league’s hesitancy to draft his son. Deion, who coached Shedeur at Colorado, attracted plenty of controversial attention when he retired the collegiate jerseys of Shedeur and former teammate Travis Hunter at Colorado’s spring game on April 19.
On the Up & Adams show, NFL Hall-of-Famer Warren Moon spoke to Kay Adams of FanDuel TV about Shedeur’s upcoming journey with the Browns. The legendary quarterback offered some words of wisdom and advice for Shedeur.
"You can't act like a cornerback when you're playing quarterback,” Moon said. “Quarterback is a humble position. You've got to be respectful, you’ve got to be a leader. You’re the face of the franchise. There’s so much more responsibility that comes along with it, and that's what he has to understand."
Despite Shedeur’s contentious media attention, most fans were shocked to see the first-round talent fall so far in the draft. Shedeur didn’t exactly do himself any favors by spending $1 million on his post-draft celebration party, fueling the narrative of his issues with professionalism and humility.
Regardless of the outside noise, Shedeur displayed enough talent over his last few years of college to snag a starting role with Cleveland. The reigning Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year will compete with the likes of 40-year-old Joe Flacco and third-round rookie Dillon Gabriel for the Week 1 starting gig.
Moon seems to think Shedeur can control his own destiny and become Cleveland’s No. 1 signal-caller.
“Now you’re drafted, you’re in an organization. You’ve got a chance to go in there and make a name for yourself,” Moon said. “There’s nobody there that’s solidified in that job at quarterback right now … I think the job is wide open for Shedeur. All he has to do is go in there, put his head down to the grindstone, go after it, and be the player that he’s been the last few stops he’s been at. It’s all in front of him.”