Deion's 'Sanders Inc.' to blame for Shedeur Sander's NFL Draft slide, writes NFL insider

Billy Heyen

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Deion's 'Sanders Inc.' to blame for Shedeur Sander's NFL Draft slide, writes NFL insider image

Shedeur Sanders didn't choose his family.

But his family, led by father Deion Sanders, got him to this point, on the verge of being an NFL quarterback.

Sports Illustrated's brilliant NFL reporter Connor Orr writes that it's also the family that has led to Sanders' massive NFL Draft slide, though.

"After Day 2, it’s time to discuss the larger cottage industry of Sanders Inc., which also deserves blame, in particular for the reason Sanders was not selected in the second or third rounds, specifically," Orr writes.

There's a lot going on away from the field that has hurt Shedeur's cause.

"Shedeur’s father, the legendary Deion Sanders, had said publicly before the draft that he would prevent certain teams from taking his son," Orr writes. "He has also posted on social media—to an account with 1.8 million followers—a guarantee that Sanders would go in the top five and accused a former NFL quarterback (Dan Orlovsky, who, as a former fifth-round pick, may actually end up going higher than Shedeur at this point) of “hating.”"

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Fair points, for sure.

It's a huge pick for a team to make, to take any QB, let alone one with the name brand power of Sanders.

It's a risky one for any general manager on the cusp of keeping or losing their job.

Many NFL personnel are conditioned to play it safe, to be conservative.

Taking Sanders, even at this point, isn't playing it safe. There's plenty of risk based on the institutions that surround him.

That's why Orr thinks Sanders is still on the board. It's a fascinating insight.

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Billy Heyen

Billy Heyen is a freelance writer with The Sporting News. He is a 2019 graduate of Syracuse University who has written about many sports and fantasy sports for The Sporting News. Sports reporting work has also appeared in a number of newspapers, including the Sandusky Register and Rochester Democrat & Chronicle