NFL personnel took turns ripping Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders last week during the most critical week of his young life. A blinding light was shone on some reports initially looked at as rumors, but with hindsight being 20/20, they carry some validity. One NFL assistant tore into Sanders in the lead-up to this draft, saying the quarterback turned in “the worst formal interview ever” ever, according to the NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero.

“The dude’s only played for his dad, an AFC coordinator said. When things go wrong, it’s not his fault. He takes a sack; he blames the O-line.”

Sanders was the 144th pick in the 5th round, far from where most draft analysts and scouts ranked him. ESPN’s Todd McShay ranked Shedeur as the No. 3 quarterback in this year’s class. Mel Kiper had him as his No. 5 player overall. So, how did he sink from a first-round hopeful to a fifth-round pick?

Sanders is the definition of polarizing; his style of play and pedigree make him an intriguing prospect, but his mental makeup leaves questions unanswered at this stage in his young career. The NFL made it clear that his talent was not great enough to look past some of these other “opportunities.” His critics call it arrogance, self-entitlement, and an overinflated view of himself.

But before we go any further, we must unpack Shedeur Sanders’ mindset and realize the one voice he’s listening to: his father.

Shedeur has always been coached by his dad. Deion was his offensive coordinator in high school until he followed Shedeur to Jackson State (this was after a de-commit from Florida Atlantic). When Deion was hired to coach Colorado, he brought his “Louis baggage,” as he referred to the team’s new players he was bringing with him in his infamous introduction meeting. He was really referring to Travis Hunter and his son, Shedeur Sanders.

It’s easy to understand how Shedeur’s ego grew as his father continued to speak life into him. Deion was the ultimate teammate during his playing days and has had good relationships around the league from his time working with the NFL Network and playing with the Falcons, Cowboys, and 49ers. He has an infectious personality that you love if he’s on your side, but you hate if you’re competing against him.

But for his son, Deion will stop at no lengths to praise him and make him feel like he can walk on water, even when he’s wrong. A father is supposed to give their sons the hard truths and tell them what they don’t want to hear.

I don’t know how Deion parents; quite frankly, it’s none of my business. But from the outside, looking in as someone who only sees them on game day, Coach Prime seemed to have a separate agenda for Shedeur from the rest of the team.

We know about the unprecedented number of transfers when Deion “Primetime” Sanders arrived in Boulder in 2022. Former Buffaloes safety Xavier Smith was among the players who spoke to The Athletic’s Max Olson and criticized the way Sanders handled the roster turnover ahead of the 2023 season.

“He was destroying guys’ confidence and belief in themselves,” Smith said. “The way he did it, it could’ve been done with a little more compassion.”

Now that, I can believe. To understand Deion, you need to know that he has some split personality tendencies. Deion is a charismatic charmer who can light up a room. Deion is also god-fearing and extremely humble. Prime, on the other hand, is another beast altogether. He’s brash. He’s bold. He’s witty. He’s a character. He puts on the gold shades, and we meet his alter ego: Primetime.

Has Deion or Prime been guiding Shedeur through this draft season? It’s evident now that the handling of his son’s football career and his grandstanding on the grandest stage of his son’s career, may have caused adverse effects on his draft stock.

We can’t let Shedeur off the hook either. He’s the one that needs to look in the mirror and grow up. The conversation around Shedeur Sander’s fall during the NFL Draft this past weekend has about 20-30% to do with his skills on the field. He’s an AP All-American who threw a school-record 64 touchdown passes over two seasons. He is a gunslinger by nature; it’s the Sanders in him. He exudes confidence, and as we know, confident young black men make some folks uncomfortable.

Shedeur Sanders displayed good arm strength and pocket awareness but was sometimes inconsistent in 2024. He was behind an offensive line that was one of the worst in college football. He did not have an effective run game. Colorado’s success depended solely on Shedeur and Travis Hunter. Despite the constant pressure, Shedeur displayed impressive resolve. He was one of the most sacked QBs in college football in the last two seasons but never missed a game.

I’m in the business of making things plain so I have to keep it real. Shedeur’s talent wasn’t undeniable. It wasn’t enough for teams to take a chance on him where he should’ve been drafted.

Former NFL lineman Damien Woody said something earlier this week that I’ve heard other athletes and coaches repeat ad nauseam: The greater the talent, the greater the tolerance. It’s apparent the coaches and assistant coaches who interviewed Shedeur couldn’t stand him.

There were reports that Deion Sanders had a list of teams to which he didn’t want Shedeur to get drafted.

“There’s certain cities where it ain’t going to happen… It’s going to be an Eli (Manning). We ain’t doing that.”

The “Eli” story that Coach Prime is referring to goes back to when the multi-time Super Bowl champion declined to play for the San Diego Chargers, who took him No. 1. This orchestrated a trade to happen between the New York Giants and the rest is history.

I understand entirely why Deion Sanders wanted Shedeur to have the same treatment as Eli Manning. Shedeur is a better prospect than Eli coming out of college, but that was some prime BS.

Deion and Shedeur, unfortunately, overplayed their hand severely. According to reports, Shedeur intentionally sabotaged specific teams’ interviews to orchestrate where he wanted to play. The nature of Shedeur’s meetings with teams started to come to light during draft week. One assistant coach labeled it as “The worst formal interview I’ve ever been in in my life.”

“He’s so entitled. He takes unnecessary sacks. He never plays on time. He has horrible body language. He blames teammates, but the biggest thing is, he’s not that good.”

It’s not as simple or black and white. I won’t say the league colluded to allow the slide of Shedeur to continue. His baggage, as his father called it, soured a lot of GMs when it came time to draft him.

There are numerous examples of how Shedeur failed to show the leadership necessary to galvanize an entire city, let alone a team of grown men. Organizations will always tell you that quarterbacks are the CEOs of the franchise. They’re front-facing. They speak to the media more than anyone else other than the head coach. Teams look for a particular personality they want their quarterbacks to have.

Quarterbacks are supposed to take the blame when the team loses and deflect the credit when they win. Patrick Mahomes is the perfect example of how a quarterback should conduct business. His PR team prepped him his rookie year to know what to say to the media. It doesn’t come easy to everyone. Some guys need extensive training to nail down their media savvy. It’s safe to say that numerous teams were not satisfied with Shedeur’s media savvy or his intangibles.

It was widely known that Shedeur hosted a rap concert for his family and friends after a rough Thursday night going undrafted in the first round. It seems innocent to most, but it’s the smallest thing that NFL teams will use against a player to say he’s not all about football. It’s unfair, but quarterbacks are treated differently than every other position.

Shedeur has been the centerpiece of every team he’s been on since Peewee football. That time is officially over. The Cleveland Browns will make him compete for the job, which is the correct process for someone like Shedeur. Teams wanted Shedeur to be humbled. That is clear to me.

The good news for Shedeur is that the draft is over, and he can focus on being the best version of himself for the Cleveland Browns. Ultimately, Cleveland is the best team that fits his skill set.

Shedeur’s future is firmly in his own hands. He will need to show and prove that he’s as good as he says he is. He’s always holding up his wrist after touchdowns; in a tribute to the diamond watches he sports off the field, it’s time to put that stuff to rest. If he wants to stick in the NFL and not the CFL, he has to want it. The time is now.