NFL exec blasts Colorado star Shedeur Sanders after NFL draft

No matter what many around the NFL want to say about Shedeur Sanders sliding in the NFL draft, there was a reason behind it, and it wasn't all about football.

Sure, perhaps Sanders might not be as talented as some evaluators suggested he was, but he was still very good during his time at Colorado, and at the very least, deserved to be a first-round pick.

Whether that was in the late 20s, or the top five, like most suggested prior to the draft, it was shocking to see him fall.

According to USA Today, one anonymous executive around the league said that it had less to do with him being a good quarterback and more about him being a brand. He added that it isn't about being a brand; it's about being a teammate in earning a job.

“We liked Shedeur,” added the high-ranking decision-maker, whose team was clearly in the market to draft a quarterback. “But you can’t separate the other stuff from the physical abilities.”

“It’s not about being a brand,” the decision-maker added. “It’s about being a teammate and earning a job.”

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Despite that, the decision maker added that he thought he was better than a fifth-round pick, no matter the baggage that comes along with him.

“I didn’t think ‘first-round,'" the decision-maker added. “But I thought higher than fifth.”

Regardless of why, Sanders will have to hope that his tools from Colorado translate to the NFL at a high level.

He's now with the Cleveland Browns, and instead of focusing on what happened in the past, he has to look ahead to the future and try to prove people wrong.