Browns not worried Deion Sanders would intervene if Shedeur drafted by Cleveland

Cleveland Browns general manager Andrew Berry discussed the possibility of drafting Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders on Wednesday, and dismissed concerns about his father throwing a wrench into the process.

“Shedeur is a really impressive young man,” Berry said, according to Zac Jackson and Amos Morale III of The Athletic. “He’s poised, he’s calm, he’s smart and you can tell that he’s been raised by — quite honestly — a Hall of Fame dad. We’re going to get to know him even more over the course of the spring, but he’s really impressive.”

Sanders' father, legendary Hall of Fame cornerback turned Colorado head coach Deion Sanders, has been the subject of a fair amount of speculation about his level of involvement in Shedeur's draft process, with many wondering if he would try to block his son heading to a team he wasn't crazy about.

For his part, Sanders spent his media time at the Shrine Bowl downplaying his dad's role in shaping his Draft future.

“He kept calling me,” Sanders said. “I told him at the end, it’s over with. I have to soar on my own.”

Frankly, of the three teams most frequently linked with Sanders, the Browns are likely not the one who needs to be concerned by Deion getting involved.

Shedeur has been linked with the New York Giants, Tennessee Titans and Browns in the early lead-in to the draft, as well as the Las Vegas Raiders (although the Raiders likely sit too far down the draft board to land the quarterback). The Giants have long been the trendy pick; with wideout Malik Nabers in the fold already, they have a potential elite wideout to pair him with, even with their offensive line and running back concerns.

Cleveland has a fair number of pass catchers in the fold; Jerry Jeudy had a massive season last year, while David Njoku and Elijah Moore both looked solid as well. They have a potentially solid run game if Nick Chubb can find his form again, and a scheme that will allow Sanders more time to learn the ropes in the pros, as they rely more heavily on the run game than other teams.

If anyone should be worried about Coach Prime pitching a fit, it should be the team holding the first overall pick. The Titans were a mess offensively; they struggled to establish a consistent passing game with Will Levis under center, and featured what was one of the worst offensive lines in all of the NFL, giving up 52 sacks (fifth-most in the league), while also ranking 30th in adjusted yards per pass attempt. They have far more to fix offensively, and play in a market where Sanders won't exactly get a ton of attention. Their singular reliable pass catcher was Calvin Ridley; no one else managed to amass more than 500 yards on the year.

At the end of the day, it feels unlikely that Deion is going to intervene one way or the other, and it's clear that the Browns should feel comfortable taking Shedeur if they decide to make him their new franchise quarterback.

Home/NFL