Shedeur Sanders has barely spoken to his family since being drafted by the Cleveland Browns in the fifth round, as he looks to make an impression in his rookie season
Shedeur Sanders has admitted that his intense focus on making an immediate impact with the Cleveland Browns has meant that he’s hardly glanced at his phone since joining the team.
The ex-Colorado quarterback experienced a draft-day nightmare, sliding from a potential first-round pick to a fifth-round selection by the Browns, who had already picked another quarterback, Dillon Gabriel. Despite being tipped as a top prospect, Sanders watched as five quarterbacks were chosen before him: Cam Ward, Jaxson Dart, Tyler Shough, Jalen Milroe, and Gabriel.
Now part of a competitive Browns’ QB room, Sanders is vying for a spot alongside expected starter Joe Flacco, backup Kenny Pickett, and fellow draftee Gabriel.
Sanders, who has been diligently studying the playbook, opted for the number 12 shirt after his favoured number 2 was unavailable, paying homage to his mentor Tom Brady. In a recent chat with Sportscasting.com, Sanders confessed that he’s been so engrossed in his new role that he hasn’t even had much contact with his family, let alone Brady, since arriving in Ohio.
READ MORE: Shedeur Sanders makes demand after NFL rookie’s first Cleveland Browns setbackREAD MORE: Introducing your new NFL newsletter The Touchdown Collective – and why you should subscribe
He told reporters: “I haven’t talked to him [Brady] since the draft. I’ve mainly just been focusing on the team, everybody that’s currently around me, the coaches on the team.”, reports the Mirror US.
“I haven’t really been on my phone much or talking to many people. I really don’t even talk to my family. It’s one of those situations where I just have to lock in, stay focused on what’s present now.”
Although he’s currently listed as the fourth-string quarterback for OTAs this week, Sanders is taking a leaf out of Travis Hunter’s book and stepping up as the offensive leader, a role he’s familiar with from his college days.
Hunter advised Sanders: “We definitely got to be leaders, especially me. I was the number two overall pick, so I gotta come in and be a leader.
“Shedeur, he’s gotta go in there and work, earn his job just like me. But he’s also got to go in there and be the head of the offense, so he’s gotta go in there and be a leader.”
Despite both being associated with the Browns, the team opted to trade their number two overall pick for a future first-round selection and chose defensive tackle Mason Graham fifth overall.