NFL Executives Blame Deion Sanders for Some of Shedeur’s Draft Shortcomings

Shedeur Sanders is one of the most interesting draft prospects in the 2025 NFL Draft, and with his background, it was always going to be this way.

As the son of one of the best players in the history of the National Football League, Sanders has had the spotlight on him practically since birth.

While there are some positives that come with the spotlight, Sanders’ draft stock has garnered a multitude of varying opinions from NFL experts, with some even criticizing his father and head coach, Deion, in the process.

“He’s all ball, but the program’s just different,” one AFC General Manager said. “Do you blame him? It’s his dad. It’s going to be different than any other circumstances because of his dad and who his dad is. But you’d like to think things will be different once he gets outside of that.”

“I don’t think it’ll be a problem,” the GM continued. “The guy wants to be really good. Sometimes you don’t overthink it. It’s complicated just because of the circumstances. He hasn’t helped himself in some of the interviews.”

Allegedly, one NFL assistant coach mentioned that Sanders had an awful interview, citing his ego and entitlement as key character flaws.

“Sanders was 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.” NFL insider Tom Pelissero outlined about his recent conversations with NFL sources.

What’s the cause of some of these shortcomings? Many executives and coaches have pointed to Deion Sanders as a contributor, while others have looked past his issues and believe there’s some major upside there.”

“The dude’s only played for his dad,” one source mentioned. “When things go wrong, it’s not his fault. He takes a sack and blames the O-line. He can make the throws. He’s got good accuracy. But does he lock on No. 1 and home in on him? And does the offense tailor for him to read it out?”

“You can’t have your dad saying, ‘I’m going to come put a quarterback coach on blast who said you were arrogant.’ So, he can’t be criticized? It seems like his teammates like him,” another executive said. “They back him, even with all the limelight stuff and going in a different car to the game. It seems like they back him more.”

The 2025 NFL Draft kicks off on Thursday, April 23rd, and while Sanders is expected to be one of the first quarterbacks off the board, his future will be one of the most talked-about topics, regardless of where he ends up.