The former Colorado starter and son of Pro Football Hall of Famer Deion Sanders was expected by many to be a first-round pick. He instead slid to Day 3 of the draft and eventually landed with the Cleveland Browns, who took him with the No. 144 overall pick.
In the aftermath of that fall, he does have one strong supporter: future Hall of Fame quarterback Tom Brady.
The seven-time Super Bowl champion texted Sanders after the draft and Sanders told media today about the exchange with Brady.
‘That was it, that my story’s going to be similar,’ Sanders said. ‘I was a late-round draft pick, but we’re here now, so none of that stuff matters. That just mattered on the day, and I’m just excited to be here, ready to work.’
Brady spoke on an episode of the IMPAULSIVE podcast about texting Sanders.
‘I was [drafted] No. 199 overall,’ he said. ‘So who can speak on it better than me? Like what that really means. Use it as motivation, you’re going to get your chances and go take advantage of it.’
Brady also brought up numerous examples from his playing career of high-performing players who were late-round picks like Sanders.
‘I was around some of the best players who were undrafted free agents,’ Brady said. ‘They was Rodney Harrison. Rodney Harrison wasn’t a high pick. Julian Edelman wasn’t a high pick. Wes Welker wasn’t a high pick. Danny Amendola. All those guys were phenomenal players.’
Sanders will be wearing No. 12 in the NFL as a rookie with the Browns, just like Brady with the New England Patriots and Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Some NFL team executives told USA TODAY Sports that off-field factors played a role in Sanders’ fall.
“I think his dad’s involvement hurt him,” another one stated. “Some of the things his dad said, I think that weighed on people’s minds.”
“We liked Shedeur,” one executive from a quarterback-needy team said. “But you can’t separate the other stuff from the physical abilities.”
Browns QB depth chart
Sanders is one of multiple quarterbacks competing for the starting job in Cleveland this season. Here’s a look at the full depth chart:
Kenny Pickett
Joe Flacco
Dillon Gabriel
Shedeur Sanders
Deshaun Watson
Pickett is currently the favorite to start Week 1 for Cleveland with Flacco and Sanders close behind.