Cleveland Browns' Shedeur Sanders 'Can't Be Fazed' By NFL Scrutiny: Rookie Minicamp

Nevertheless, Sanders has remained mostly grounded as rookie minicamps begin in Cleveland. He compared his NFL situation to navigating a muddied pocket by keeping his eyes forward, as he did countless times in Boulder.

"The most questions they asked me [were], 'How is it mentally going through all this?' I just told them it's just like playing quarterback," Sanders told reporters on Saturday. "So I can't be fazed by it."

Sanders has impressed thus far for the Browns, with a teeming narrative of competition between him and Gabriel for standing on the depth chart. Veteran arms in Joe Flacco and Kenny Pickett lead the pack to start this fall, but both rookies have chips on their shoulders to fit in the mix.

Cleveland coach Kevin Stefanski and general manager Andrew Berry made a bold move by selecting two high-profile prospects in April's draft. Questioning by the media and fan opinion will only get more volatile as Sanders and Gabriel get their feet wet during the summer.

Despite his unfamiliar environment, Sanders already has widespread backing from the community, fanbase and teammates. Structural support will be vital for Sanders to thrive in Cleveland, where many a quarterback has tried and failed to resurrect one of the four NFL teams to never compete in a Super Bowl.

Sanders thrived with Colorado, overcoming the absence of a running game behind him and a historically poor offensive line in front of him to become one of the nation's best pure passers. Poise, accuracy and improvisation helped the quarterback complete 74 percent of his throws for 4,134 yards and 37 touchdowns en route to a 9-4 record and a near-miss of the Big 12 Championship Game in 2024.

The most pertinent pressure Sanders faced, other than defensive ends, stemmed from his father and coach, Deion Sanders. The gold-tinted shadow of "Coach Prime" hung over Shedeur throughout his time with the Jackson State Tigers and Buffaloes and may have played a role in dropping his draft position from near the top to No. 144.

With Coach Prime going back to more conventional fatherly duties, Shedeur may be able to better focus on improvements to his game. While it's incredibly likely that Sanders has a stamped-out role with the Browns, it's also commonplace for any fifth-round rookie to end up sidelined for an entire season, no matter a last name or fan favoritism.