Shedeur Sanders Update Emerges After NFL Draft Fall

The surprising drop has since drawn renewed attention following recent comments from The Athletic’s Zac Jackson, who claimed Sanders’ decision not to practice at the Shrine Bowl hurt his draft stock. Jackson alleged Sanders arrived prepared to play but abruptly declined to participate, telling others that the Browns and Giants had advised him to sit out, a claim Jackson deemed fabricated.

“You gotta go compete,” Jackson said. “Like Shedeur Sanders, last year, to me, the whole thing started to fall apart when he went to the Shrine Bowl, and two days before the Shrine Bowl started, everybody at the Shrine Bowl expected him to play. They had his gear there, they had his stuff there. He shows up, all of a sudden, nope, not doing anything, and then he makes up this stuff about how the Browns and the Giants told him not to work out. Like, dude, no one told you that – like, stop it. And the whole thing kinda unraveled from there.”

Sanders’ brother, Deion Sanders Jr., quickly denied the report, calling it “a lie” and urging people to “ask Eric Galko,” who oversees the Shrine Bowl.

The Shrine Bowl often serves as a crucial proving ground for draft-eligible quarterbacks, offering teams insight into competitiveness and work ethic. Jackson’s comments have reignited debate about whether that incident contributed to Sanders’ unexpected slide.

Meanwhile, in Cleveland, Sanders joined a stacked quarterback room that included veterans like Joe Flacco and Kenny Pickett, along with Dillon Gabriel, who was selected in Round 3. He has since moved up the depth chart after the Browns traded Kenny Pickett before the season and moved veteran Joe Flacco on Oct. 7.

With Gabriel now Cleveland’s starting quarterback and Deshaun Watson still recovering from injury, the expectation is that Sanders could get developmental snaps later this season.