Forget the fall: Shedeur can thrive in the NFL

Shedeur Sanders' slide out of the first round of the NFL draft was one of the major stories from Thursday night. The Tennessee Titans had barely even announced Cam Ward as the first pick before a feverish Mel Kiper launched into an impassioned defense of the Colorado passer.

But it soon became clear the league doesn't feel the same way Kiper does about Sanders, as 32 names came and went without the 23-year-old hearing his.

Things got even worse for Sanders on Friday, when the one-time favorite for the No. 1 pick found himself still sitting undrafted through three rounds and over 100 selections.

"I talked to about half a dozen teams today. ... They just thought that he wasn't a first-round talent and a first-round player," Pete Thamel of ESPN said Friday morning.

"Strictly relating to the draft, the league simply didn’t view Sanders as an elite prospect - and hasn't for a while," Jeff Howe of The Athletic added in his opening-round wrap.

Remember that this is the same league that thought Kenny Pickett was worthy of a first-round pick in 2022.

Sanders apparently didn't meet the same criteria that Zach Wilson and Trey Lance did in 2021. It's fair to question what the league was thinking during the second day of the draft, because Sanders' tape doesn't just say he should have gone in the top three rounds; it suggests he should have found his team Thursday.

His 37 touchdowns in his senior campaign trailed only Cam Ward at the FBS level. He completed 74% of his passes for 4,134 yards for the nation's 23rd-ranked offense. His eye-popping numbers came despite a running game that ranked second last in the country and an offensive line that accepted pass-rushers at the same rate the University of Phoenix takes in students. Just ask Coach Prime if you think that's overly harsh.

The main on-field criticism lobbed at Sanders ranges from a lack of athleticism to average arm strength and questionable pocket presence. We probably wouldn't be judging his athleticism so harshly if his father didn't happen to be one of the best athletes we've ever seen. He may not run away from people like Lamar Jackson, but Sanders has shown enough elusiveness to extend plays and avoid defenders.

Meanwhile, the ball speed from Sanders might not be elite, but we shouldn't lean heavily on one specific stat. Just look at the Indianapolis Colts and what Anthony Richardson's elite arm has produced in the NFL. Sanders proved to be solid throughout his collegiate career at throwing with anticipation and going through his progressions. The arm strength won't set records, but he's shown the ability to deliver on a deep ball when absolutely necessary.

It's no secret Sanders' stats were padded heavily by a reliance on screen passes, with a whopping 28% of his completions coming on those plays. But you know who else benefits from a steady diet of screens? Patrick Mahomes. We aren't comparing Shedeur to Mahomes, but there's a reason highly respected offensive teams like the Kansas City Chiefs and San Francisco 49ers annually rank among the top screen-throwers in the NFL.

So that brings us to pocket presence - perhaps the main area of concern for Sanders. He averaged 2.9 seconds per dropback before passing last season and spent way too much time dancing around in the face of pressure. However, with no running game and a massively overmatched offensive line, teams were simply teeing off on Sanders every play. One would think that the opportunity to have competent protection should speed Sanders up and get the most out of his accuracy.

Sanders' fall suggests there's something more than just his on-field evaluation at play. Maybe it's a poor interview cycle. Maybe it's the league's hesitation to draft Deion Sanders' son and attract weekly eyes from the all-time great.

Whatever the reason, the Cleveland Browns decided Sanders was worth selecting and grabbed him with the 144th overall pick in the fifth round. Sanders joins a crowded quarterback room that includes the injured Deshaun Watson, Joe Flacco, Kenny Pickett, and Dillon Gabriel - a fellow rookie drafted 50 slots earlier than Sanders.

Did Sanders deserve the amount of attention he was given Thursday and Friday for dropping like a stone? No, probably not. His fall hijacked the draft coverage and took most of the attention away from what was actually happening.

However, the fact it was covered so exhaustively serves as a reminder that there's no reason Sanders deserved to fall beyond the first round in this class. Teams throughout the NFL have shown they're willing to take chances on players with significantly less production.