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Of all those times Deion Sanders boasted that his son, Shedeur, would be a "Top 5 draft pick," little did we know it would wind up merely being in the top five ... rounds.
The Shedeur Slide finally ended Saturday afternoon when the Cleveland Browns - who some experts thought would select him at No. 2 overall - picked him at No. 144. In the end, he was the sixth quarterback taken in the draft, one of which was also by the Browns: Oregon's Dillon Gabriel in the third round.
Explained Cleveland general manager Andrew Berry of the pick: "We wouldn't call it a blockbuster ... that's not how we think of this transaction. But we are excited to work with him. We believe he's a guy who can out-produce his draft slot."
Though better late than never, the pick likely won't end the national conversation that the delay sparked. The Shedeur Slide was so epic it divided football fans, evoked race and lured in politicians.
On one side were those merely convinced Shedeur was overrated and overhyped by Deion, and didn't possess NFL-level football skills. Lined up opposite were those convinced NFL owners colluded against Shedeur in a show of force and control along the lines of blackballing Colin Kaepernick for kneeling during the National Anthem in 2016.
Shedeur rubbed some general managers the wrong way during pre-draft interviews with what they labeled "entitlement" and "arrogance." Through Deion, he told a handful of teams he wouldn't play for them. That vibe wasn't helped when he declined an invitation to attend the draft in Green Bay this week to instead throw himself a lavish celebration in Texas in rooms decorated in his trademark "Legendary" and dollar bills signs.
Donald Trump. Jerry Jones. Dak Prescott. Deion. Patrick Mahomes. Sean Payton. Luther Campbell. Stephen A. Smith. And topping the list of those who felt compelled to rant about Sheduer's Slide: ESPN NFL Draft guru Mel Kiper.
"I don't get it, but here we are," fumed Kiper on Saturday. "I think I'll be proven correct in saying he should've been selected in high in the first round."
Shedeur will have to fight for a roster spot along with quarterbacks Gabriel, Joe Flacco, Kenny Pickett and, when finally healthy, Deshaun Watson. The Browns will also have two first-round picks in the 2026 NFL Draft, thought to be much more quarterback-rich than this year's crop.
Said ESPN NFL insider Adam Schefter, "The drama with Shedeur is really just beginning."
Kiper, who had Shedeur rated ahead of No. 1 pick Cam Ward, spent the entire draft irrationally railing against the NFL. Citing their relationship from playing together on the San Francisco 49ers in the 1990s, Kiper predicted a peaceful Browns' haramony through the relationship between Deion and Shedeur's new position coach: Bill Musgrave.
"Deion's not going to interfere," Kiper yelled. "He's not going to say anything to threaten any coaches. He's going to stay out of it. He'll be busy coaching Colorado. There's been a lot of fake news narratives about this kid and his family."
Alas, Deion has already injected himself into the Browns-Shedeur relationship when he took a jab at Flacco after Cleveland initially passed on his son in the first round.
Said Deion to Shedeur, "They got Flacco. Flacco my age."
Flacco is 40; Deion 57.
Considering Deion's DNA, the first Browns' losing streak will have his name in the headlines as the successor to head coach Kevin Stefanski. Kiper, however, was just getting started.
"Is Shedeur cocky or charismatic? It's a fine line," he said. "Shedeur will galvanize that team. He's that kind of player and that kind of person."
The bottom line is that 32 NFL decision-makers each passed on a chance to draft Shedeur three times, some as many as five times. The consensus clearly was that his mediocre talent and meddlesome father weren't worth premium draft-pick currency.
During a spirited exchange on ESPN's set in Green Bay, host Rece Davis and others tried to calm Kiper.
Said analyst Louis Riddick, "No matter your opinion, the draft has spoken."
Added draft expert Field Yates, "We wound up where Shedeur is probably the best value on Day 3."
"I don't think yelling at the NFL is the answer," Davis said.
Kiper has been analyzing drafts for 47 years. He's had his share of misses, including ranking Tony Mandarich over Troy Aikman in 1989. But clearly he took this glaring misjudgment personal, turning Shedeur's Slide into a referendum on a broken system.
"The NFL has been clueless for 50 years when it comes to evaluating quarterbacks ... clueless! And here's more proof," he said. "They think they know exactly what they're talking about with quarterbacks ... and they don't."
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The Shedeur Slide finally ended Saturday afternoon when the Cleveland Browns - who some experts thought would select him at No. 2 overall - picked him at No. 144. In the end, he was the sixth quarterback taken in the draft, one of which was also by the Browns: Oregon's Dillon Gabriel in the third round.
Explained Cleveland general manager Andrew Berry of the pick: "We wouldn't call it a blockbuster ... that's not how we think of this transaction. But we are excited to work with him. We believe he's a guy who can out-produce his draft slot."
Though better late than never, the pick likely won't end the national conversation that the delay sparked. The Shedeur Slide was so epic it divided football fans, evoked race and lured in politicians.
On one side were those merely convinced Shedeur was overrated and overhyped by Deion, and didn't possess NFL-level football skills. Lined up opposite were those convinced NFL owners colluded against Shedeur in a show of force and control along the lines of blackballing Colin Kaepernick for kneeling during the National Anthem in 2016.
Shedeur rubbed some general managers the wrong way during pre-draft interviews with what they labeled "entitlement" and "arrogance." Through Deion, he told a handful of teams he wouldn't play for them. That vibe wasn't helped when he declined an invitation to attend the draft in Green Bay this week to instead throw himself a lavish celebration in Texas in rooms decorated in his trademark "Legendary" and dollar bills signs.
Donald Trump. Jerry Jones. Dak Prescott. Deion. Patrick Mahomes. Sean Payton. Luther Campbell. Stephen A. Smith. And topping the list of those who felt compelled to rant about Sheduer's Slide: ESPN NFL Draft guru Mel Kiper.
"I don't get it, but here we are," fumed Kiper on Saturday. "I think I'll be proven correct in saying he should've been selected in high in the first round."
Shedeur will have to fight for a roster spot along with quarterbacks Gabriel, Joe Flacco, Kenny Pickett and, when finally healthy, Deshaun Watson. The Browns will also have two first-round picks in the 2026 NFL Draft, thought to be much more quarterback-rich than this year's crop.
Said ESPN NFL insider Adam Schefter, "The drama with Shedeur is really just beginning."
Kiper, who had Shedeur rated ahead of No. 1 pick Cam Ward, spent the entire draft irrationally railing against the NFL. Citing their relationship from playing together on the San Francisco 49ers in the 1990s, Kiper predicted a peaceful Browns' haramony through the relationship between Deion and Shedeur's new position coach: Bill Musgrave.
"Deion's not going to interfere," Kiper yelled. "He's not going to say anything to threaten any coaches. He's going to stay out of it. He'll be busy coaching Colorado. There's been a lot of fake news narratives about this kid and his family."
Alas, Deion has already injected himself into the Browns-Shedeur relationship when he took a jab at Flacco after Cleveland initially passed on his son in the first round.
Said Deion to Shedeur, "They got Flacco. Flacco my age."
Flacco is 40; Deion 57.
Considering Deion's DNA, the first Browns' losing streak will have his name in the headlines as the successor to head coach Kevin Stefanski. Kiper, however, was just getting started.
"Is Shedeur cocky or charismatic? It's a fine line," he said. "Shedeur will galvanize that team. He's that kind of player and that kind of person."
The bottom line is that 32 NFL decision-makers each passed on a chance to draft Shedeur three times, some as many as five times. The consensus clearly was that his mediocre talent and meddlesome father weren't worth premium draft-pick currency.
During a spirited exchange on ESPN's set in Green Bay, host Rece Davis and others tried to calm Kiper.
Said analyst Louis Riddick, "No matter your opinion, the draft has spoken."
Added draft expert Field Yates, "We wound up where Shedeur is probably the best value on Day 3."
"I don't think yelling at the NFL is the answer," Davis said.
Kiper has been analyzing drafts for 47 years. He's had his share of misses, including ranking Tony Mandarich over Troy Aikman in 1989. But clearly he took this glaring misjudgment personal, turning Shedeur's Slide into a referendum on a broken system.
"The NFL has been clueless for 50 years when it comes to evaluating quarterbacks ... clueless! And here's more proof," he said. "They think they know exactly what they're talking about with quarterbacks ... and they don't."
Related: NFL Insider Reveals 3 Reasons Why Browns' Shedeur Sanders Fell in Draft
Related: Dillon Gabriel Joins Re-Vamped Browns QB Room
Related: Dillon Gabriel Joins Re-Vamped Browns QB Room
Continue reading...
