Shedeur Sanders draft interview: How 'unprofessional' pre-draft meetings may have resulted in slide

Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders is a polarizing figure. On the one hand, he has solid mechanics and a high enough talent floor that he should have probably been drafted in the first two days of the 2025 NFL Draft. On the other hand, the quarterback has done something to rub teams the wrong way, which has resulted in a slide to the third day of the draft. 

Sanders has always come with more than himself when heading to the NFL. His father has been heavily involved in his life as an athlete, being the only head coach he has had since high school. 

It felt like the ego of the quarterback continued to rise, culminating in Shedeur's jersey being retired by Colorado despite his career record sitting just above .500 in his two years with the Buffaloes. 

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As the Colorado quarterback continued to slide, analysts on television got angrier and more perplexed as to why he was still available and why teams were going in other directions at quarterback. 

One of the answers that has come out as a contributing factor is the report that Sanders had really bad interviews with teams. Here's more on his pre-draft meetings.

MORE: Can Shedeur Sanders return to college after draft slide?

Shedeur Sanders draft interview

The pre-draft process largely consists of the NFL Combine, pro day workouts, and visits with individual teams. Even though they aren't televised, players will also go through pre-draft interviews where teams will ask them questions to determine their fit.

According to several sources, Sanders failed to impress in his interviews, to put it mildly. One assistant coach put it bluntly saying, "The worst formal interview I’ve ever been in in my life. He’s so entitled. He takes unnecessary sacks. He never plays on time. He has horrible body language. He blames teammates, but the biggest thing is, he’s not that good.”

Matthew Berry of NBC Sports highlighted two sources on different teams that said that the Colorado quarterback had bad meetings. Berry suggested that Sanders was just having a bad day or trying to throw the interview if it was a team he didn't want to play for.

Vic Tafur pointed out that Raiders minority owner Tom Brady has a strong relationship with Deion and Shedeur. Still, Las Vegas passed on the quarterback at No. 37, No. 48, and No. 58. Tafur translated this as teams having doubts about the quarterback, including several reports from the NFL Combine that his interviews went very poorly. 

The Athletic published an article discussing Sanders' slide.

"His approach to this pre-draft process should be a lesson in what not to do for future quarterbacks. You cannot simply declare yourself something you aren’t and hope nobody checks you on it. The reality here is that Sanders is a good football player, a quality prospect and someone who could eventually turn into a functional starter so long as he’s surrounded by talent and a strong offensive line. But the questions about his arm talent, size, pocket processing and general over-confidence were very real." - Nick Baumgardner

An AFC executive said about Sanders' interview, "It didn't go great in our interview. He wants to dictate what he's going to do and what's best for him. He makes you feel small."

A lot of the interview centered around what he wanted to do in the offense, and teams seemed to think he was not willing to mold or adapt. Deion Sanders was Shedeur's offensive coordinator in high school, and he's spent the past four years being his head coach, which some view as contributing to Shedeur's reluctance to change his approach.

"When you hear all the anecdotal stories about the person, it's not that he's a bad kid. He has been so insulated. It's going to be a culture shock when he really learns how a locker room really operates and how it really works inside a building. He's had so much input on the offensive game plan and who the coach is, and everything's been catered to him. When you walk in one of these (NFL) buildings, no one's going to give a s--- about that. No one cares who your dad is. You're going to have to end up fighting through some adversity. The plays aren't going to be called to exactly what you want to run."

Ultimately, only Sanders and team officials know what really happened in his interviews, but based on his slide, it's clear he didn't do anything to dispel the notions that he'll be difficult to coach, even in the NFL.