Shedeur Sanders Gets Advice From Cam Newton: ‘Lead With Work, Not Clout’

Pot, meet kettle: Cam Newton has some advice for Shedeur Sanders about working hard and keeping a low profile.

After once being considered a surefire first-round draft pick, Sanders was ultimately selected in the fifth round (No. 144 overall) by the Cleveland Browns. Reports quickly surfaced that the former Colorado QB's stock plummeted because of the "entitled" way he handled himself during the pre-draft process.

Cam Newton has some sage advice for Shedeur Sanders about being a franchise quarterback.

(Getty Images)

Newton, who played 11 NFL seasons after being drafted No. 1 overall in 2011, had some words of wisdom for Sanders on the latest installment of his 4th & 1 podcast.

"Lead with work, not clout," Newton advised. "I think he took on the persona of a DB, not a QB. As a DB, you're able to do certain things. You can speak loud and be rambunctious and have that bravado. But as a quarterback, reminder: you are the CEO of that franchise."

As "CEO of the franchise," Cam explained, a starting quarterback must "pander" to six different parties: the owner, the general manager, the head coach, the position coach, teammates and fans.

RELATED: NFL Legend Brett Favre Has Valuable Advice For Shedeur Sanders, Other Late-Round Draft Picks

Perhaps falling to the fifth round was at least a little bit of a humbling experience for Sanders — which, Newton believes, may actually work out better for him in the end.

"This is the best situation for Shedeur because he has to claw his way to the top," Newton said. "Does he have the capabilities of doing it? Absolutely. And if I'm in his camp, I'm telling him, like, 'bro, let's get to work. Let's control what we can control now.'

"I do see Shedeur Sanders starting for the Cleveland Browns at some point this year."

Of course, this advice is rich coming from Cam Newton — not exactly a guy who's known for staying out of the spotlight, keeping his head down and focusing solely on football.

On the other hand, though, maybe this is a cautionary tale from Cam, a sort of "don't make the same mistakes I did" thing?

Or maybe — more likely — it's just a tremendous lack of self-awareness.