Shedeur Sanders considers himself a program changer.
And that apparently turned off some NFL teams.
NFL Network insider Peter Schrager revealed that Sanders â the son of Colorado coach and NFL Hall of Famer Deion Sanders â irked some franchises with those remarks during the Combine.
âHis point at the combine, and it rubbed people wrong, the way he had some bravado at it, is that he changes places when he gets there,â Schrager said on the âBill Simmons Podcastâ on Tuesday. âSo Jackson State, obviously, went from this HBCU that had no resources to suddenly being a national name. And then he goes to Colorado and we had one week where âBig Noon Kickoffâ from Fox and âGameDayâ were there, Week 2, vying for real estate in Boulder. It happens.
âShedeur has never wavered that heâs a leader and those guys do respect him.â
Sanders has come under the microscope leading into this yearâs draft, where heâs hoping to be a top selection and possibly even No. 1.
The combine provided an opportunity for Sanders to meet with teams and also answer reportersâ questions. He displayed an unwavering confidence that he expects he will galvanize his next team.
âÂÂWe went from Jackson State to Colorado and changed two programs back-to-back,â Sanders said, with the âweâ referencing his father coaching him at both schools. âÂÂYou donâÂÂt think I could come to an NFL franchise and change a program again? ItâÂÂs history. ItâÂÂs always going to repeat itself.âÂÂ
That those remarks did not land with some teams come as multiple unflattering reports emerged in recent days regarding Sandersâ demeanor during the combine.
Veteran NFL reporter Josina Anderson said a quarterbacks coach from a team drafting in the first seven slots said Sanders came across âbrashâ and âarrogant.â
However, she questioned this narrative.
âIâÂÂm just sharing that this coachâÂÂs personal ᴀssessment is the direct opposite from how Sanders came across to many reporters in his press conference with the media at the combine,â Anderson, formerly of ESPN, posted on X. âSanders appeared to go out of his way to acknowledge multiple media members, regardless if they were recognizable or not. He seemed cordial, polite, witty, thoughtful along with being confident (as many athletes are). Alternately, these observations were distinctly different from how another QB prospect came off to some in the media last year in Indy.âÂÂ
The âbrashâ and âarrogantâ accusations carried a little different weight when NBC fantasy football expert Matthew Berry echoed similar sentiments from two individuals from two different teams.
âÂÂThey both said it was a bad meeting and that he came off as unprofessional and disinterested,â Berry wrote Tuesday. âÂÂBoth also said that after the meeting they had a lesser opinion of him than prior. These same people both met with (Miami quarterback) Cam Ward as well, and both said they loved Ward, and it was a great meeting.
âWhen talking about the projected top two QB picks this year, every team I spoke to loves Ward. And I didnâÂÂt hear a ton of positive about Sanders.â
Schrager did note that Sanders is not viewed as a âdivaâ and has been praised for being tough while playing behind a porous offensive line for his father at Colorado.
âNot a diva. Donât read any of that sât. Heâs not a diva,â Schrager said. âThis guy chose to go to Jackson State.â
However, those negative reports could help explain why Sanders is seemingly now being classified as the No. 2 quarterback in this class behind Ward.
Ward owns -280 odds at FanDuel to be the No. 1 pick â which belongs to the тιтans for now â and Sanders is now the fourth option â behind Travis Hunter and Abdul Carter â with 19/1 odds.
Schragerâs understanding is teams see Sanders closer to fringe first-round quarterback in Ole Missâ Jaxson Dart than Ward.
The NFL Draft begins April 24 in Green Bay, Wis.
âAnd then itâs a giant dropoff (from Ward) from what I can gather,â Schargers said, âand then just viewed as prospects, not necessarily how they turn out, Shedeur, Jaxson Dart and then a bunch of unknowns.â