There was a time when the Raiders weren’t believed to have any have chance at getting Shedeur Sanders with the no. 6 pick in the draft.
But a lot has changed in the last few months.
Shedeur’s draft stock has imploded since December and it’s hard to find any league insiders who believe he’s going to be a top 10 pick.
In fact, there’s a chance Shedeur’s name might not even be called on Thursday night.
“He could go out of the first round. He very well may not be a first round quarterback,” CBS Sports insider Johnathan Jones said on Wednesday. “I think there is a very good chance that he is not selected on Thursday night.”
Jones said there are a lot of contributing factors to why Sanders is probably going to slide in the draft, but the combination of his relatively average NFL skill set and the perception he has put forward in interviews are factors that could push Shedeur into the second round.
But the dynamic that has hurt Shedeur as much as anything is probably the presence of his father, combined with the influence the elder Sanders is expected to have on his NFL career.
ESPN’s Stephen A.Smith and Ryan Clark talked about Shedeur’s draft status on Wednesday and Smith believes many NFL executives and coaches aren’t comfortable with the Deion Sanders element of drafting Shedeur.
”I just want to be on the record. I’ve said this before and I’ll say it again. I believe that Shedeur Sanders, people don’t want the thought of having to deal with him because that’s dealing with his dad,” Smith said on ESPN’s First Take.
”In other words, your dad’s going to be in your ear… your dad’s one of the greatest athletes who has ever lived and is obviously highly accomplished and knows football inside and out. As a result, [Shedeur] is going to ask questions, he’s not just going to take instructions just because you say so. He’s going to challenge your football intellect… I think that’s what this is about, they just can’t admit it.”
For better or worse, most believe Deion is going to have his thumb on Shedeur’s NFL career and we’re going to find out on Thursday how comfortable teams are with that possibility.
Based on what Shedeur has communicated in interviews, teams feel like they have an idea of what his mentality is going to be like as a pro and the list of teams comfortable with Deion’s involvement and Shedeur’s mindset seems to be getting shorter by the day.
With all that in mind, there could be a scenario coming where Shedeur is on the board when the Raiders are on the clock in the second round.
If that happens, there will be an incredible amount of pressure on the Raiders and more specifically, Tom Brady, to draft Shedeur.
The thought of Shedeur being available in round 2 seemed unthinkable a few months ago, but it’s a possibility the Raiders need to be prepared for on Friday.
x: @raidersbeat
The possible influence of the elder Sanders’ is a pretty pitiful excuse for any coach or GM comfortable in their own skin. And Shedeur is going to question things, not just be a robot? Why is that an inherently bad thing. Don’t forget, the 49ers went with Alex Smith over Aaron Rodgers at least partially because they perceived Rodgers to be to be someone who asked too many questions, and Smith as someone who would be more compliant.
Look, I’m not a scout. I don’t know which QBs are going to work out in this great. But I know Sanders had an excellent college career and was a presumed top 3 overall pick when games were actually being played. Spytek and Carroll are too experienced for Deion to be an issue. If they have the chance to draft Sanders and pass, they better be right.