New York Giants Star Goes Off On NFL Teams Over Shedeur Sanders Draft Slide: ‘Can’t Do Somebody Like That’
The NFL world is still talking about the draft and the slide of eventual fifth-round pick Shedeur Sanders.
Sanders entered the draft with hopes of being a first round pick, setting up a massive draft room to celebrate with custom graphics and logos. That didn't work out. But while many evaluators, other than Mel Kiper that is, thought Sanders' talent didn't justify a first round pick, few saw him falling all the way to the fifth round.
READ: ESPN's Mel Kiper Jr. Goes Ballistic Over Shedeur Sanders NFL Draft Pick
New York Giants star wide receiver Malik Nabers spoke about the Sanders situation on a recent podcast and went off on NFL teams for letting him drop beyond his perceived talent.
FORT COLLINS, Colo. - Shedeur Sanders of the Colorado Buffaloes walks to the locker room after the game against the Colorado State Rams at Canvas Stadium on September 14, 2024. (Photo by Andrew Wevers/Getty Images)
Nabers Blames NFL Owners For Shedeur Sanders
Nabers joined the "7PM in Brooklyn" podcast with Carmelo Anthony and The Kid Mero, and said the league treated Sanders unfairly.
"You don’t do that to somebody like that," Nabers said. "You can’t knock his talent."
Nabers also went into criticisms of Sanders for his play at Colorado in 2024, saying he demonstrated he can make accurate throws even under pressure.
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. - Wide receiver Malik Nabers speaks to the media during New York Giants Rookie Minicamp at Quest Diagnostics Training Center on May 10, 2024. (Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images)
"I heard a lot of things about he takes unnecessary sacks. He had a bad O-line. You know, he threw for a 70% [completion rate] with a bad O-line. Talk about his escaping the pocket. You can pull up plenty of clips of him escaping three or four tackles and throwing it down the field.
"Most of his receivers had seven to eight touchdowns. He played with Travis Hunter. He won the Biletnikoff. There’s just some things you can’t knock."
He also said that the off-field concerns about Sanders are overblown.
"We gotta stop making feelings with how people play linger," Nabers argued. "Yeah, he might have some things that he might say on camera, off the field. Whatever’s dealing with that, that don’t have to do with how he plays football.
"Everybody’s got different personalities. You’re never going to meet somebody that’s got the same personality anywhere. We’re all made different. So, for them to judge him on just the things that he says or how he carries himself. How he carries himself is all about how his dad raised him, and we all know Deion, bro. C'mon. We all know Deion."
He also defended Deion, saying he doesn't blame him for the draft slide.
"They were just doing that to show how they were bigger than what he wanted to stand for," Nabers added. "I understand that, but you don’t do that. Not to a kid like that that has been working their whole life and been told that Deion’s kids are never going to be as good as him."
Nabers has a point; the NFL frequently drafts or acquires players with significant character issues and off-field arrests. Sanders' perceived issues don't seem to rise to that level. But for the entire league to pass on him that many times shows there was clearly something putting them off.