The entire NFL Draft process was pretty much disastrous for Shedeur Sanders. The Colorado quarterback entered the pre-draft period believing he and his family would be able to dictate where he ended up. That didn’t turn out to be the case, leading to a rough draft night. It's believed that Sanders underperformed in his pre-draft interviews.
“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,” CBS’ Jonathan Jones said.
The Sanders family also played a crucial role in him not getting drafted by the team he wanted. NFL legend Cris Carter believes they only have themselves to blame.
“Shedeur and his family, they overplayed their hand," Cris Carter said. "Them thinking that he was in the same evaluation mode as Eli Manning, they didn't play that right. Them trying to narrow the teams that he was going to go to, that didn't do right.”
Now, Sanders is with the Browns, and things haven’t exactly gone smoothly for the rookie. He’s in danger of not making the final roster — or lasting more than a year in Cleveland. Pro Football Network’s Joe DeLeone believes the Browns could draft Fernando Mendoza with the first overall pick next season, effectively pushing Sanders out.
“Fernando Mendoza may not be a household name right now, but by the start of the 2026 NFL Draft cycle, he’ll be one of the most highly sought-after prospects," DeLeone wrote. "While at Cal in 2024, Mendoza flashed natural playmaking ability and a powerful arm. If the Cleveland Browns are resetting at quarterback, taking a player with tools is the route."
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Next year, it’s likely to come down to Dillon Gabriel or Shedeur Sanders being the odd man out. For now, all signs point toward Sanders being on the short end of that decision.