To borrow the line from the powerful closing argument scene from the film A Time To Kill, “I want to tell you a story. I’m going to ask you all to close your eyes while I tell you the story. I want you to listen to me. I want you to listen to yourselves.”
Imagine there’s a quarterback in college with NFL royalty bloodlines with a last name that is recognized as one of the greatest to ever play the sport in college and in the pros.
Imagine this player arriving on campus carrying the immense weight of his last name, with high expectations swirling around him before he even had the chance to lace up his cleats and step onto the field.
Can you picture him yet?
His name instantly makes him recognizable and the media swarms around him, but his talents, confidence and upbringing make him not only a good overall person, but a great fit for any team serious about having a leader who can foster a winning culture.
He’s in the limelight because of his last name, but he stays out of trouble despite the glaring spotlight he attracts simply because of his last name.
Can you see him?
This tall, slim quarterback with a cannon for an arm yet with the precision and accuracy to match.
He’s not the greatest runner, but he’s a player who can scramble and extend drives.
Do you see him?
Good.
Now imagine he’s Black.
I’m sure some of you pictured Texas QB Arch Manning, but the player I’m referring to is Colorado QB Shedeur Sanders and for some reason, despite all of the positives written above, and his accolades and performance on the field, Sanders’ position in the upcoming NFL Draft is fluctuating.
Yet there’s not one good reason for his value to be questioned at this point. So there’s only one assumption to be made about what’s impacting his draft status.
His last name.
Shedeur is the son of NFL Hall of Famer, Deion Sanders, who is a lightning rod for attention, praise and criticism, the latter mostly because of his flashy persona and unwavering confidence.
Despite the resume of Deion/Coach Prime the player and coach, respectively, critics always hover, and unfortunately for Shedeur, they’re unfairly targeting him now.
Shedeur’s talents and resume speak for themselves.
He began his collegiate career at Jackson State, where so-called college football experts questioned why he and Travis Hunter would play at an HBCU and blasted them for playing against “lesser-talent.”
Yet Shedeur didn’t let that phase him.
Instead, he led the Tigers to two SWAC titles and almost won a Celebration Bowl title. Most significantly, he, his father and Hunter brought a powerful spotlight on HBCU football.
Then it was on to Colorado, where, despite running for his life for two seasons behind a poor offensive line, he held his own and took a 1-11 team to 4-8 and 9-4 in his two seasons in Boulder.
He threw for 3,230 yards, 27 TDs and 3 INTs in year one and 4,134 yards, 37 TDs and 10 INTs while completing 74% of his passes in year two. His career passing completion rate of 71.8% made him number one overall in FBS history and was named the Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year and the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award winner this past season.
He was being discussed as a potential top 3 pick all season, ranked neck and neck with Miami’s Cam Ward, yet once he announced he wouldn’t throw at the combine, instead choosing only to answer questions there, the criticisms started and his draft stock began fluctuating.
Not because he suffered an injury or because of a massive scandal. No, this unfair questioning of his talents erupted only after his NFL Combine decision.
But in reality, it appears that his last name might play a bigger role in his draft positioning, which is ridiculous.
If you watch the tape on Shedeur, you can see what he accomplished in his four years in college and the talent he has.
He can throw the deep bowl with accuracy, scramble to extend plays and drives, is a leader on the field and stays out of trouble off of it. That’s what teams want and need in a quarterback.
But the Sanders name, confidence and ability to do what they feel they need to do irks many, especially many in the media. Yet when the Mannings decided to control Eli’s destiny on draft day, they weren’t met with the same type of venom.
“When I go visit these coaches and when I go to all these different franchises, I ask them truly what I think and how I feel,” said Sanders. “Some get offended, some like it, some don’t. Make some people uncomfortable, some people invite that. They know what type of person and what type of player they’re gonna get out of me, so I just have to make sure, you know, what type of culture or what type of dynamic I’m going to have with them also.”
Shedeur has the potential to be a great NFL quarterback, and if teams make the same mistake they did with Lamar Jackson and pass on him later this month, there’s a good chance their decision will return to haunt them like it’s done in Jackson’s NFL tenure.
So stop with the false narratives around Shedeur.
And if you feel some sort of way about his father, leave that on his father for you’re blinding yourself to the fact that Shedeur is as good now as he was in the fall.
“The defense rests your honor.”
