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Sumnima Kandangwa

Freelance Editorial Assistant for Style by SCMP


Shedeur Sanders’ dramatic fall to day three of the NFL draft has baffled fans, analysts and some general managers and coaches.
Sanders was considered a top-five overall pick after finishing his career with the Buffaloes at the University of Colorado Boulder, but he was forced to wait until the draft’s fifth round and final day before learning if – and where – he’d be playing in the upcoming season.

The unexpected fall from grace had everyone speculating about Sanders’ possible shortcomings. Some believe Sanders failed to impress in his interviews with the teams considering him. CBS Sports’ Jonathan Jones believes he “‘more or less sandbagged’ interviews with teams where he didn’t want to go,” saying, “I don’t know if he didn’t take them seriously, what it was, but he did not give it his all in some of those interviews.”
Sanders also chose not to participate in any NFL Combine drills, instead using the opportunity to position himself as a game-changer, saying, “We went from Jackson State to Colorado and changed two programmes back-to-back ,” and adding, “You don’t think I could come to an NFL franchise and change a programme again? It’s history. It’s always going to repeat himself.” This reportedly led to management at various teams believing that Sanders was entitled and choosing not to draft him.
Others have questioned whether the fact that Sanders didn’t have an agent – beyond his Pro Hall of Fame dad Deion Sanders – was a problem, while others speculated whether his father somehow scared teams away.
Sanders was eventually drafted by the Cleveland Browns with the 144th pick. He became the sixth quarterback drafted this year, despite expectations he would be second behind Miami’s Cam Ward. To his credit, Sanders stayed positive and when he was drafted, reportedly danced and jumped into a swimming pool.
To make matters worse, a video shared on social media showed Sanders taking a call from someone pretending to be the New Orleans Saints’ general manager Mickey Loomis on Friday. The caller claimed that the team was planning to take Sanders on as their next pick but that he’d have to wait a little longer.
NFL investigators identified the prank caller to be Jax Ulbrich, the son of Jeff Ulbrich, the defensive coordinator for the Atlanta Falcons. He apparently came across Sanders’ number on his dad’s open iPad and used it for the call.
Ulbrich took to Instagram on Sunday to publicly apologise to Sanders, writing: “On Friday night I made a tremendous mistake. Sheduer (sic), what I did was completely inexcusable, embarrassing, and shameful,” Ulbrich wrote.

“I’m so sorry I took away from your moment, it was selfish and childish. I could never imagine getting ready to celebrate one of the greatest moments of your life and I made a terrible mistake and messed with that moment. Thank you for accepting my call earlier today, I hope you can find it in your heart to forgive me.”
Luckily, Sanders didn’t seem too bothered and told reporters on Sunday, “It didn’t really have an impact on me. Of course, I feel like it was a childish act, but everybody does childish things here and there.”
Here’s everything to know about Shedeur Sanders.
He’s a legacy athlete

Born February 7, 2002, Shedeur Sanders is Deion Sanders’ third son, whom he shares with his second wife Pilar Biggers-Sanders.
Deion was drafted to the NFL in 1989 by the Atlanta Falcons and played 14 seasons with five different teams, winning two Superbowls. On the pitch, he was known as “Prime Time”, a nickname he’d had since high school. After retiring for the second and final time in 2005, Deion briefly worked as an NFL analyst before becoming a coach for the Jackson State Tigers and later, the Colorado Buffaloes.
Deion also has two children – daughter Deiondra and son Deion Jr – with his first wife Carolyn Chambers. After Deion and Carolyn divorced in 1998, he married Pilar in 1999 and went on to have three more children, second son Shilo, Shedeur, and second daughter Shelomi. Deion filed for divorce from Pilar in 2011.
Shedeur’s brother Shilo was also drafted into the NFL this year ahead of him. He signed as a free agent with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Following in his father’s footsteps

Deion has had a strong influence on his son’s athletic career. Shedeur attended Trinity Christian School in Texas, where his father was the school’s offensive coordinator.
He went on to play quarterback with the Jackson State Tigers for two years while his father was head coach. Then, when Deion was hired as the head coach of the Colorado Buffaloes, Shedeur transferred to the Denver-based team to play under his father and alongside his brother Shilo.
Ahead of the 2025 NFL draft, an anonymous NFL coach reportedly told the media that his interview with the 21-year-old player was “the worst formal interview I’ve ever been in in my life. He’s so entitled. He takes unnecessary sacks. He never plays on time. He has horrible body language. He blames teammates. … But the biggest thing is, he’s not that good.”
Jumping to his son’s defence, Deion blasted the haters in an interview with USA Today, calling the negative media “laughable” and reminding Shedeur to focus on the positive.
“What I told him, too, is, ‘Son, what I’ve learned in my life is when it don’t make sense, it’s God. Because some of this stuff is so stupid it don’t make sense. That means God is closing doors and opening doors to make sure you get to where you’re supposed to go.’”
Who is Shedeur Sanders dating?

The 23-year-old was reportedly partying till 2am at Dallas club Hyde & Seek to celebrate being drafted by the Cleveland Browns on Saturday night.
The party was attended by close friends Kodak Black and Yung Miami, and older siblings Deiondra and Deion Jr. The young player’s rumoured girlfriend, Shenseea, was also in attendance, according to Page Six.
According to the outlet, Shenseea is a Jamaican dance hall singer.


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From one NFL coach saying he has ‘horrible body language’, to Jax Ulbrich’s cruel prank call and a celebratory party with Kodak Black in Dallas, it’s been a roller coaster month for Shedeur Sanders


From one NFL coach saying he has ‘horrible body language’, to Jax Ulbrich’s cruel prank call and a celebratory party with Kodak Black in Dallas, it’s been a roller coaster month for Shedeur Sanders.
