As any dating coach aiming to help a man land a woman will tell you- talking too much about yourself is never a good thing. Being a man of mystery is more attractive. The same basic principle applies to the NFL Draft process. Over the years, we’ve seen some prominent prospects slide down the draft boards once scouts and other NFL personnel had ample opportunities to further analyze them.
Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders is just the latest example.
Had the son of Deion Sanders come out last year, he might have ended up in a much better draft position than still waiting on the event’s final day.
Perhaps the most classic example of this “too much information” phenomenon is Jake Locker.
Had Locker come out after his junior season at Washington (2009), he might have been the #1 overall pick. However, his final year at UW saw a statistical decline across the board, and with all the additional tape that came with him playing another year, NFL personnel found more material for nitpicking.
He entered the next draft talking season as the likely #1 overall prospect, but he slid down the boards and ended 11th overall to Tennessee, where he had a short, injury-plagued career. Locker couldn’t hold on to a starting job because he kept getting hurt, but when he did play, he was efficient and productive. His career numbers aren’t bad, but he’s the prime example of “you got to strike while the iron’s hot” when it comes to NFL Draft stock.
Given enough time, and/or attention (and if there is one thing both Shedeur Sanders and Deion Sanders are about, it’s attention) scouts, GMs etc. will find something they can consider a flaw.
That’s because the NFL Draft process is all about analysis, and then over-analysis of that aforementioned analysis. That’s why the draft has its own set of unique buzzwords and distinct catch-phrases. Consider the case of another infamous draft night slide- Illinois running back Rashard Mendenhall.
Projected to go top ten, or at least top 15, he slid down to the Pittsburgh Steelers at #23.
Having just one season as a starter at Illinois, Mendenhall had only 388 total carries in college. One school of thought deemed this a good thing- “not much tread on the tires, so he’s going to have a long career.”
Other draft analysts labeled this a negative: “he’s not experienced enough, so he’s an unproven question mark.”
Obviously, both cannot be true. But it’s a classic example of how much scrutiny is involved in the process, so when you call added attention to yourself, it better be of the positive variety.
With Sanders, there is the obvious baggage of the inevitable media circus that he brings along with him. And the more baggage you have, the more incredibly elite of a player you need to be in order to justify those distractions.
The optics of calling a former teammate “mid” on social media aren’t great. Making a very ostentatious draft night(s) green room for himself, decorated in the theme of having already arrived as a superstar, wasn’t the best idea either. The premature and highly questionable number retirement decision at Colorado certainly did Shedeur no favors.
Add these things up, and you start to acquire “baggage.”
Factor in the reports of him interviewing poorly at the combine, and now you have substantial baggage. However, the biggest variable working against Sanders right now is the position that he plays. Being a quarterback means being the face of the franchise, a leader and a role model. You are held to a higher standard, and have to convey an attitude that is about “we,” not “me.”
At other positions, you don’t have those obligations, so if Sanders was played DB or WR, his ill-advised social media post and custom green room with “legendary” decor might go overlooked.
Or as Coach Tony D’Amato (Al Pacino) bombastically said in Oliver Stone’s Any Given Sunday:
You’re a goddamn quarterback! You know what that means? It’s the top spot, kid. It’s the guy who takes the fall. It’s the guy everybody’s looking at first – the leader of a team – who will support you when they understand you. Who will break their ribs and their noses and their necks for you, because they believe. ‘Cause you make them believe. That’s a quarterback.
Five quarterbacks have already been selected, while Shedeur Sanders still waits.
This article originally appeared on Draft Wire: Shedeur Sanders may not be good enough of a player to justify the hype
As any dating coach aiming to help a man land a woman will tell you- talking too much about yourself is never a good thing. Being a man of mystery is more attractive. The same basic principle applies to the NFL Draft process. Over the years, we’ve seen some prominent prospects slide down the draft boards once scouts and other NFL personnel had ample opportunities to further analyze them.
Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders is just the latest example.
Had the son of Deion Sanders come out last year, he might have ended up in a much better draft position than still waiting on the event’s final day.
Perhaps the most classic example of this “too much information” phenomenon is Jake Locker.
Had Locker come out after his junior season at Washington (2009), he might have been the #1 overall pick. However, his final year at UW saw a statistical decline across the board, and with all the additional tape that came with him playing another year, NFL personnel found more material for nitpicking.
He entered the next draft talking season as the likely #1 overall prospect, but he slid down the boards and ended 11th overall to Tennessee, where he had a short, injury-plagued career. Locker couldn’t hold on to a starting job because he kept getting hurt, but when he did play, he was efficient and productive. His career numbers aren’t bad, but he’s the prime example of “you got to strike while the iron’s hot” when it comes to NFL Draft stock.
Given enough time, and/or attention (and if there is one thing both Shedeur Sanders and Deion Sanders are about, it’s attention) scouts, GMs etc. will find something they can consider a flaw.
That’s because the NFL Draft process is all about analysis, and then over-analysis of that aforementioned analysis. That’s why the draft has its own set of unique buzzwords and distinct catch-phrases. Consider the case of another infamous draft night slide- Illinois running back Rashard Mendenhall.
Projected to go top ten, or at least top 15, he slid down to the Pittsburgh Steelers at #23.
Having just one season as a starter at Illinois, Mendenhall had only 388 total carries in college. One school of thought deemed this a good thing- “not much tread on the tires, so he’s going to have a long career.”
Other draft analysts labeled this a negative: “he’s not experienced enough, so he’s an unproven question mark.”
Obviously, both cannot be true. But it’s a classic example of how much scrutiny is involved in the process, so when you call added attention to yourself, it better be of the positive variety.
With Sanders, there is the obvious baggage of the inevitable media circus that he brings along with him. And the more baggage you have, the more incredibly elite of a player you need to be in order to justify those distractions.
The optics of calling a former teammate “mid” on social media aren’t great. Making a very ostentatious draft night(s) green room for himself, decorated in the theme of having already arrived as a superstar, wasn’t the best idea either. The premature and highly questionable number retirement decision at Colorado certainly did Shedeur no favors.
Add these things up, and you start to acquire “baggage.”
Factor in the reports of him interviewing poorly at the combine, and now you have substantial baggage. However, the biggest variable working against Sanders right now is the position that he plays. Being a quarterback means being the face of the franchise, a leader and a role model. You are held to a higher standard, and have to convey an attitude that is about “we,” not “me.”
At other positions, you don’t have those obligations, so if Sanders was played DB or WR, his ill-advised social media post and custom green room with “legendary” decor might go overlooked.
Or as Coach Tony D’Amato (Al Pacino) bombastically said in Oliver Stone’s Any Given Sunday:
You’re a goddamn quarterback! You know what that means? It’s the top spot, kid. It’s the guy who takes the fall. It’s the guy everybody’s looking at first – the leader of a team – who will support you when they understand you. Who will break their ribs and their noses and their necks for you, because they believe. ‘Cause you make them believe. That’s a quarterback.
Five quarterbacks have already been selected, while Shedeur Sanders still waits.
This article originally appeared on Draft Wire: Shedeur Sanders may not be good enough of a player to justify the hype
