The claim that Shedeur Sanders intentionally underperformed in interviews during the 2025 NFL Draft is backed by some credible sources, but the full details remain somewhat speculative. Ultimately, the exact reason for Sanders' draft position remains uncertain. His fall could also be attributed to teams’ concerns about his overall readiness for the NFL or the unpredictability of the draft process. Additionally, Sanders has expressed confidence and has compared himself to Tom Brady, aiming to prove his worth in the league. However going off personal opinion I believe his draft stock tanked due to his persoanlity and ego instead of him declining to want to Play for certain teams. There has been multiple players in the past who have said they wont play fro certain teams and their draft stock didnt plummet such as shaduer sanders did.
I agree that Sanders' draft position seems to have been influenced by more than just his performance on the field. However, I think it's important to recognize that the "sandbagging" claim is speculative. While it does seem plausible that he might have intentionally downplayed his interest in certain teams, this could also be a case of misinterpretation. NFL interviews can be extremely intense, and a player's demeanor might not always reflect their true intentions. With claims like this its hard to dictate whether or not Its one particular thing or multiple.
I appreciate that you brought up the issue of Shedeur’s attitude during interviews. However, I think there’s a difference between being "arrogant" and being confident in one's abilities. Given that Sanders is coming from a high-profile background with his father, as a major influence, I think teams could have overall seen his actions of playing at colorado like flexing a watch and could be seen as arrogant and money hungry.I also think its the factor that shadeur could be seen as a player that only has success due to his father being the coach which can equate to more plays focused around him and a huge gain of media that focuses on him due to his dad being a hall of fame player himself. It’s also worth noting that many players who don’t have the "perfect" personality for interviews often thrive in the NFL once they’re on the field. So, while his attitude might have raised red flags, I wouldn't jump to conclusions about it being the sole factor for his draft slide.
