Shedeur Sanders has faced a fair amount of noise and criticism in the leadup to the 2025 NFL Draft. To some extent, this was expected. Sanders is not only a high prospect in this draft class at the sport's most important position, but the son of one of the most iconic players in NFL history, Deion Sanders. He is far from the first quarterback prospect to be the subject of criticism, but his father certainly heightens the talk surrounding him.
After Sanders met with teams at the NFL combine, Josina Anderson reported that one quarterbacks coach found Sanders to be "arrogant" and "brash" during his interview. Sanders simply replied on social media: "How u know."
Even comments or analysis that does not take direct aim at Sanders as a person have projected him falling out of the first round or critiqued where he stands as a prospect.
Sanders is accustomed to this though, and simply says he aims to block out the noise. "We always understood to block out the noise, even from Jackson State and Colorado," Sanders told NFL Network at the Big 12 Pro Day. "There's a lot of critics, there's a lot of hate. We know what the do, we know how to handle that in every way so we remain happy."
🔥 Solid. Shedeur's Pro Day Interview
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"We understood to block out the noise. There's a lot of critics, there's a lot of hate. We know what the do, we know how to handle that. So we remain happy"
pic.twitter.com/EZRltktUt2
Even so, Sanders admits the pre-draft process has been a "learning experience" for him, but is grateful for the resources, including his Hall of Fame father.
Not all the noise toward Sanders has been negative either. Longtime NFL draft analyst Mel Kiper Jr. and Fox analyst Joel Klatt both have expressed high praise for Sanders, including calling him their top quarterbacks in this class over Cam Ward, who is more widely viewed as the best player at the position this year.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Shedeur Sanders Reveals the Secret to Happiness Amidst NFL Draft Negativity.
