(Reuters) -Quarterback Shedeur Sanders, the son of Hall of Famer Deion Sanders, finally got his NFL Draft moment on Saturday, two days later than he would have hoped, after a surprise freefall into the fifth round.
Once projected to go in the first round, Sanders was not called on the first two days of the draft, confounding television analysts who struggled to make sense of it as team after team snubbed him.
On Saturday, the Cleveland Browns selected him with the sixth pick of the fifth round and 144th overall.
“Thank you GOD,” Sanders posted to X, while footage showed him dancing and celebrating after the call came through from the Browns.
Sanders, who was coached by his famous father at Colorado the last two seasons, faced way more buzz than a typical prospect ahead of the NFL Draft and at one point was even considered a potential top pick.
But as teams further assessed Sanders’ ability his stock started to drop and by Saturday morning, coverage of the draft began to focus more on Sanders than any of the players who were called earlier in the process.
Jonathan Jones, the lead NFL insider for CBS, reported that Sanders “more or less sandbagged” interviews with teams he was uninterested in at the NFL Combine.
Another inflammatory report from NFL Network reporter Tom Pelissero quoted an anonymous “longtime NFL assistant coach” who called his meeting with Sanders “the worst formal interview I’ve ever been in in my life.”
The 23-year-old quarterback had plenty of supporters, too, with U.S. President Donald Trump weighing in on his Truth Social platform prior to Friday’s second and third rounds, suggesting Sanders had the right pedigree to help a team win.
“What is wrong with NFL owners, are they STUPID?” Trump wrote. “Deion Sanders was a great college football player, and was even greater in the NFL. He’s also a very good coach, streetwise and smart! Therefore, Shedeur, his quarterback son, has PHENOMENAL GENES, and is all set for Greatness.
“He should be ‘picked’ IMMEDIATELY by a team that wants to WIN. Good luck Shedeur, and say hello to your wonderful father!”
Being selected in the first round of the NFL Draft is not just about status but also money and job security as players who are fortunate to have their names called early receive more lucrative and longer contracts with their new team.
Sanders, who last December finished eighth in voting for the Heisman Trophy given to college football’s most outstanding player, is a slightly undersized quarterback who has shown he possesses outstanding touch, accuracy and toughness.
While Sanders’ toughness is unquestionable, some critics feel he does not have elite size, arm strength or athleticism though still think he can find success in the NFL working with an offense that is based on timing and ball placement.
Among some other concerns are what role, if any, Sanders’ father, who was the fifth overall pick in the 1989 NFL Draft and known as “Primetime” during his playing days, would look to have in his son’s pro career.
Five quarterbacks went before Sanders, including first overall selection Cam Ward, who will play with the Tennessee Titans.
Sanders is expected to face stiff competition in Cleveland, joining quarterbacks Kenny Pickett, Joe Flacco and Deshaun Watson, who is injured, along with fellow rookie Dillon Gabriel, whom the Browns selected in the third round.
The three-day NFL Draft will conclude on Saturday.
(Reporting by Frank Pingue in Toronto and Amy Tennery in New York, editing by Pritha Sarkar)
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