Shedeur Sanders falling all the way to the fifth round of the NFL Draft surprised many.
However, one big omission from Sanders’ pre-draft process may help explain his stunning slide.
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The talented quarterback out of Colorado never hired an agent.
He was, in essence, riding ‘solo’ and had to navigate the entire process by himself.
Sure, he had help from his Hall of Fame father, Deion Sanders, but even Primetime isn’t fully equipped to help his son handle the rigor that is meeting with coaches, owners, scouts and general managers.
With no agent or representation, it left the younger Sanders open to unwarranted criticism and anonymous-source bashing that felt like open season pointed at the 23-year-old.
Deion recently went on former NFL cornerback Asante Samuel’s podcast, “Say What Needs To Be Said” and wanted to clear the air on the nonsense that was surrounding his son in the last few months.
“There was some foolish stuff that went on, but you know what? That gave them something that they needed,” Deion said.
“That edge that Tom (Brady) had, that you have, it gave them that edge that I have. Folks said we weren’t going to be nothing. … You’re not going to catch (Shedeur) in no foolery, no mess, you’re not going to do that, whatsoever.
“So when you sit up there and say something like he went in a meeting unprepared, like dude, Shedeur Sanders?’
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The issue with the father’s thinking isn’t that he is necessarily wrong — it’s that he is too close to the situation.
He is Shedeur’s father, not his agent.
During the pre-draft process, Shedeur could have greatly benefited from having an agent — a theory recently highlighted by ProFootballTalk.
Is it a requirement?
No, Cam Ward fared just fine without an agent and was the first name called on draft night.
But Sanders’ situation was completely different, and his stock was hard to read months before the draft.
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His evaluation wasn’t as cut and dry as Ward’s was.
He needed to be exceptional in meetings and blow teams away, but that appears to be where Sanders struggled.
And that’s where an agent could have stepped in and been helpful.
At the end of the day, Sanders will have the opportunity in Cleveland to prove to everyone that passed on him that they were wrong.
And Deion’s son can still prove himself right.
