Shedeur Sanders is preparing for his sophomore season with the Cleveland Browns after a tumultuous rookie year. Now, a Browns expert has revealed an unknown detail that factored into the quarterback’s pre-draft impression on the football community.

On May 17, the official X page of Browns Nation shared Garrett Bush’s statement, who hosts a podcast called The Barbershop. 

“Pre-draft, Shedeur Sanders had former NFL executives, general managers, staff prepping him for the combine…for his pre-draft prepping for his interviews. I don’t think nobody told y’all that,” Garrett Bush said.

Shedeur Sanders did attend the NFL Combine, but he chose not to participate in on-field workouts, agility drills, or throwing sessions. Bush further talked about why the young QB slid in the draft and the truth behind it.

“They purposely sought out people already in the industry who ain’t done the questions, they prepped him, went over everything. When you hear that he slid to the fifth round because of headphones, now you can see why that was also a lazy lie. I know the names of these individuals. Trust me. These guys are high executives." Bush insisted.

This revelation is in stark contrast to Albert Breer’s April 28 Sports Illustrated report of the tense sessions Sanders has with NFL franchises. 

He wrote that the Indianapolis Colts had a “particularly rough interception teed up for Sanders” as “a lot of times in combine meetings, teams will have a player’s worst plays ready for him.” 

Breer had also reported that Sanders “didn’t take blame” for his performance and even claimed that he and the staff won’t be a good match.

Sanders, 23, was a Colorado Buffaloes star and widely touted as a first-round pick in 2025. He ticked off major points on the list- a 6’2 foot and 215 lbs build, 4,134 passing yards, and 37 touchdowns in the 2024 season, and a 75.5 QBR national rating. 

Yet he slid to the fifth round, and the Browns picked him 144th overall in round five.

Sanders’ draft slide has become an infamous one in recent NFL history. It finds its way into conversation even though time has passed, and Shedeur Sanders’ father has shared their side of the story.

Deion Sanders Says Son Shedeur Was Prepared For Everything

On May 14, former NFL player and the Colorado Buffaloes head coach, Deion Sanders, called the pre-draft narrative about his son Shedeur a “lie.”

“It was some ignorant things that came out about him pre-draft and all that, and that was a lie,” Deion said on The Barbershop. “Like, he would never go into a meeting with headphones on. He would never go into a meeting unprepared. Like, that's just not who he is. There's no way he could accomplish the things he accomplished without being prepared.”

In his rookie season, Shedeur Sanders played in the last games, passed for 1,400 yards, and threw seven interceptions. He was named Rookie of the Week in Week 14 and received a Pro Bowl invitation.

While he was benched and served as a backup, Sanders is up in a tough fight for the QB1 position this year. 

What are your thoughts on this season? 

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Written by

Akanksha Biradar

Edited by

Zaid Quraishi