Shedeur Sanders’ draft prank calls a result of NFL’s lack of control, says Adam Schefter

Shedeur Sanders had to face a humiliating slide down the draft boards and prank calls to finally get a call from the Cleveland Browns.

Shedeur Sanders’ draft prank calls a result of NFL’s lack of control, says Adam Schefter

NFL has something to do with Shedeur Sanders prank call (Image via Imago)

Shedeur Sanders can finally call himself an NFL quarterback. The Cleveland Browns stopped his infamous slide down the draft board to select him in the fifth round. That slide has led to a lot of heated arguments about how NFL owners have treated him.

Some believe it was their way of taking out their hate towards his father, Deion Sanders. His talk of controlling where his son would land probably led to him sliding down the boards. But another incident showed that NFL owners were not just the ones enjoying that free fall.

Someone called a phone number Sanders had handed out to NFL GMs and pranked him. It turns out it was Atlanta Falcons DC Jeff Ulbrich‘s son, Jax. The league has started an investigation to figure out how this and other prank calls happened. But Adam Schefter believes the problem lies elsewhere.

The league listed Shedeur Sanders’ name and his number because he was self-represented. That number got out there, it led to the prank call. When there is an event and something happens, like that prank call, it goes beyond that one person who made the call. In this particular case, there are a lot of people to blame, including the NFL.

Adam Schefter said

While on the Pat McAfee Show, he also added that the league did not take care when sending out Shedeur Sanders‘ number. He believes the NFL sent his number to the entire distribution list, which made the number available for abuse. In this case, the league now has a problem on its hands that it has to avoid going forward.

Shedeur Sanders checks in with Browns and starts training

Many want the league to hand out punishments to those who pranked Shedeur Sanders. But the new Cleveland Browns quarterback is focused on his job. He knows he is the fifth quarterback on the Browns roster, which means he has to fight for a spot.

Shedeur Sanders will be fighting for a spot on Cleveland Browns roster
Shedeur Sanders will be fighting for a spot on Cleveland Browns roster (Image via Imago)

NFL teams usually do not hold more than three quarterbacks on their opening roster. Some even go down to two and keep one or two on their practice squad. On paper, the Browns might feel luxurious, having to decide between five quarterbacks.

But essentially, it is between four. Deshaun Watson will not play this season after suffering an Achilles injury. That means, they are left with veteran Joe Flacco, former 1st round pick Kenny Pickett, and Sanders’ fellow draft class QB, Dillon Gabriel.

The problem for the Colorado QB is that he has to fight with those three to secure a spot. Knowing he has to impress head coach Kevin Stefanski and GM Andrew Berry, the 23-year-old has already checked in at the Browns’ facilities to work on his body as well as his game.

Journalist believes teams were not high on Sanders despite hype

Shedeur Sanders’ slide down the draft boards might have everything to do with his father, his entitled and arrogant attitude, and a lack of experience facing adversity. Mostly, the reasons for the slide were pointed on an apparent collusion on the part of NFL owners to teach both father and son a lesson.

When former ESPN president John Skipper was on Pablo Torre Finds Out, he clarified that there are other ways to teach Deion Sanders a lesson. Every team wants to get better, and considering how shallow this draft was at the QB position, it was more about Sanders the QB than Sanders the celebrity. Host Pablo Torre then said this.

When I was talking to NFL executives this weekend like what happened here. It’s not collusion, it’s a test of power in which every NFL team was like, ‘This guy is not good enough to demand the treatment, the power that he thinks he deserves’.

Pablo Torre said

John Skipper agreed with the investigative journalist’s words. He believes teams know how good a player is and how they would fit into their system. Had they been high on the Colorado star, they would have picked him well before the fifth round.

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