The crisis of our time has been somewhat averted with Shedeur Sanders, the son of Deion Sanders, finally getting selected by the Browns in the fifth round of the NFL draft. And if you don't know anything about football and are reaching for that back key, like all things, this has inevitably become political, so there'll be something for you as well. 

To offer a quick recap of how we got here, Shedeur Sanders was projected by many media personalities to go in the first round, with ESPN's Mel Kiper having him rated as his top quarterback. The situation was always a lot more complicated than statistics and projections, though. Shedeur Sanders had become infamous for his arrogance and entitlement, taking to calling himself a "legend" after barely posting a .500 record at Colorado University. 

The school even recently retired his number at the behest of his father, who is the coach (and Hall of Fame NFL player) of the aforementioned Buffaloes. For the draft, an entire custom green room was built, with the anticipation that he would go very early. There were also a series of on-the-field incidents arguably demonstrating bad sportsmanship and a lack of leadership. 

Sources: Shedeur Sanders has become the only draft pick in pro sports history to spend more on his draft night setup than the total value of his first contract pic.twitter.com/W97Mh0TTEW

— RedditCFB (@RedditCFB) April 26, 2025

In other words, Shedeur Sanders came across as a spoiled brat, flaunting his wealth and privilege, and that continued into the draft process. There were reports of him being ill-prepared for meetings at the combine (which is essentially a pre-draft workout) and even sandbagging to try to ensure he didn't go to certain teams. At one point, Shedeur Sanders told teams, "Don't get me if you ain't trying to change the franchise or the coach." Again, the sense of over-inflated worth and authority no doubt worried NFL teams, especially given that his ceiling as a prospect was actually not that high, relatively speaking. 

Of course, as he began to tumble in the draft, some cried racism. 

Given that over 80 percent of the players drafted before Sanders were black, including the first overall pick, I'm going to go out on a limb and suggest that racism wasn't a factor here. Instead, it seems pretty clear that Shedeur Sanders' limited athleticism and the circus-like atmosphere surrounding him were the reason he fell. Teams will take on just about anything if the talent level is there. They are much less likely to take a risk on what they see as a marginal prospect, though, and while the press was enamored with Shedeur Sanders, it was consistently reported that NFL teams were not based on their evaluations. 

With all that said, the Cleveland Browns finally selected Shedeur Sanders in the fifth round on Saturday, and one of Deion Sanders' old tweets was immediately dug up. 

Given that the Browns were picking second overall on Friday night, I'd say their situation is probably worse than it was at the time of that post. So certainly, there's a bit of irony in Shedeur Sanders' father saying any quarterback should "pull an Eli Manning" if picked by the "Factory of Sadness" (sorry, Browns fans). What makes this funnier, though, is that Deion Sanders suggested earlier in the draft process that his son wouldn't play for certain teams. So yeah, the fact that all 32 ended up passing on him repeatedly is just a bit poetic. 

Look, I'm not here to endlessly dunk on the guy, but there's a lesson here. NFL teams are professional organizations. They don't care what ESPN says or how much Stephen A. Smith rants and raves. Shedeur Sanders thought he was bigger than the process, and he paid the price. Perhaps this will humble him and help him have a good career. We'll see. 

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