Shedeur Sanders’s draft night turned into a rollercoaster no one expected. Once seen as a first-round lock, he kept sliding, round after round, as fans watched in disbelief. However, later, the Cleveland Browns jumped in, trading two picks to Seattle just to grab him at No. 144. That moment ended one of the biggest surprises of the draft.

Obviously, a top talent, slipping to Day 3? It’s wild. But the question is: Why? According to Albert Breer on The Rich Eisen Show, Shedeur Sanders’ slip might be because of “talent and performance,” as he is destined to resemble Cam Newton and Tim Tebow’s fates. The fate wherein they both had to quit their respective careers due to their alleged outrageous nature.

He said, “He slipped out of the first round because of talent and performance. I think that really was the long and short of it. I don’t think he was seen as a first-round talent by very many people, and fair or not like that was the feedback I got from a lot of people I trust. They just did not see a first-round talent.” Really? 37 TDs for 4,134 yards and a QBR of 75.5. Wasn’t this the first day talent? However, Breer didn’t stop here.

On Monday’s episode, Breer continued to talk about how it was for some quarterbacks earlier. He quipped, “And I think I’ve said this to you on the show a couple times. Doesn’t mean he can’t go in the first round because if you find a team that sees you differently, that sees you as a fit. I mean, Bo Nix was that way, right? Like a lot of teams, we didn’t think Bo Nix was a first-round talent. There was a fit there for him in Denver, so I think, like when you’re talking about why you didn’t go in the first round, the second round, I think it was talent and performance.” Here’s hoping Sanders and the Browns click!

Besides that, there is a way in which the NFL treats its quarterbacks and backup quarterbacks. As per the journalist, “I think whether you like it or not, football coaches want their backup quarterbacks to blend in with the furniture and they want them to be seen, not heard. And it’s a huge reason why guys… didn’t have like second lives to their careers like Cam Newton, Jay Cutler. It’s why guys like Tim Tebow and Colin Kaepernick didn’t get continued shots at going in the league, at staying in the league. People don’t want to hear that. But it’s the reality.. It’s like first and foremost you want your backup quarterback to be a resource to the starter.” That’s true.

So, “If he’s young, you want it to be someone you can develop, and you want some. You want to be someone who’s going to do all of that in the shadows and so like I think once you get out of the first or second round now you’re looking at depth and developmental guys.” It got tough for teams to get a clear read on Shedeur Sanders because of all the noise around him. So instead of taking a chance, a lot of front offices just went with the “safe” guy—someone easy to manage, low-key, and drama-free if the starter struggles. That mindset definitely played a role.

But here’s where things really went sideways: Sanders acted like a guaranteed top-10 pick from the start. That changed the way he handled interviews and how he engaged with teams.

According to Breer, Sanders treated some franchises differently based on where he wanted to land. The problem? He was never truly a locked-in top-10 pick. And in the NFL, unless you’re a sure thing, you don’t get to pick and choose. By narrowing his options early, he might have pushed away teams that actually liked him—maybe even enough to draft him in the third or fourth round.

When you add that to the fact that teams expect a backup quarterback to fit a certain mold, well, it all stacked up against him.

Shedeur Sanders’s downfall served him a lesson by the league!

Shedeur Sanders’s draft fall wasn’t just surprising – it was a wake-up call. In the NFL, talent isn’t enough. You’ve got to respect the process, stay humble, and understand you’re not the one taking the chances – team execs are. And if you’ve got a loud, famous parent in your corner, like Deion Sanders, it’s smart to tone it down. NFL teams reportedly made that loud and clear for the young quarterback.

According to reports, Shedeur Sanders came in with top-pick hype after making waves at Jackson State and Colorado. But falling to the fifth round sent a clear message. He skipped combine drills like he was already a star, and reportedly brushed off some team interviews. The way he carried himself suggested he didn’t think he had to win anyone over—and that likely didn’t sit well with NFL decision-makers.

For instance, once he commented, “I could bring cameras and eyes anywhere I go…It doesn’t matter where I go, I know … the influence I have on society and culture…So wherever I go, it’s going to be an improvement over what it was before I got there.” All of these didn’t sit well with many. Especially not when his dad kept talking him up as a top-five pick and made public threats about avoiding certain teams.

Teams saw it as arrogance and not confidence. And in a league where nobody is bigger than the shield, that’s a dealbreaker. When Sanders finally got picked by the Browns, it felt like a relief. But the whole ride reminded everyone – fans, players, and front offices alike that the NFL doesn’t hand out respect. You need to earn it!