Former NFL executive addresses alleged slide of Shedeur Sanders' draft stock

Following the NFL Scouting Combine that wrapped up on March 2, individuals such as Ted Nguyen and Mike Sando of The Athletic mentioned that "not every team has a first-round grade on" Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders, in part because he allegedly "hit the wrong notes in combine interviews."

During a recent chat with Michael Grant of Awful Announcing, former NFL executive and current NFL Network analyst Marc Ross touched upon why such things are being said about Sanders at this stage of the predraft process. 

"In a room of 20 people," Ross said, "one person may say something negative, and whoever is writing, reporting or putting out these tweets can just take that one. As opposed to the 19, and now we have a whole firestorm about Shedeur Sanders. But overall, the way that I observed him and watched him, he handled himself with class."

For an article published on Wednesday, Cleveland Browns reporter Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland Plain Dealer noted that members of that organization "came away impressed" following conversations with Sanders that took place at the East-West Shrine Bowl and the combine. 

"They didn’t find him to be arrogant or brash, but confident and engaging," Cabot explained. "They liked all of the good things his Hall of Fame dad (Colorado coach Deion Sanders) poured into him but appreciated that he’s his own man. He exhibited the excellent leadership qualities they’re looking for in a quarterback."

Many believe the Browns will grab Shedeur Sanders with the second overall pick of the 2025 NFL Draft in the event that the Tennessee Titans take Miami's Cam Ward with the first selection. The Titans could also trade that choice to a team that wants Ward. 

Post-combine comments about Shedeur Sanders' attitude may have something to do with the fact that certain NFL head coaches don't want to deal with anything Deion Sanders will have to say about his son's rookie season. Additionally, Pro Football Talk's Mike Florio suggested on Wednesday that Deion "knows exactly where he wants Shedeur to go" and may want the signal-caller to "slide" to a certain team. 

"In this day and age," Ross continued, "nobody’s going to be duped by bad reports. You’re not going to put something out on somebody and have the guy fall. Teams do so much work. They put in so much effort that they’re not going to take a random quote or a random report and say, 'You know what? We’re going to pass on Shedeur because we heard that.' They’ve done so much work and trust their scouting staff."

On Wednesday, NFL Media analyst Charles Davis somewhat surprisingly predicted that the Titans will spend the draft's first pick on Sanders. Davis doesn't believe what some within the NFL community have said regarding Sanders' draft stock coming off the combine.