NFL coach, executive crush Shedeur Sanders over predraft interviews

The alleged slide of Shedeur Sanders' draft stock began right around the same time it was reported in early March that "not every team has a first-round grade on" the Colorado quarterback.

This is in part because he allegedly "hit the wrong notes" in interviews with some clubs during the NFL Scouting Combine. 

For a piece published on Tuesday evening, NFL Media's Tom Pelissero spoke with NFL personnel about what Sanders did and/or didn't do during those interviews. 

According to Pelissero, an unnamed "longtime NFL assistant coach" said that Sanders completed "the worst formal interview I've ever been in in my life." 

"He's so entitled," that coach said about Sanders. "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." 

Takes about Sanders and other quarterbacks in this draft class being "not that good" existed long before the polarizing prospect reportedly failed to impress teams with his pro day workout back on April 4. At least one NFC quarterbacks coach recently suggested Sanders would be a Day 3 pick if "he was coming out of Minnesota" and didn't share a last name with Pro Football Hall of Famer and Colorado coach Deion Sanders, Shedeur's father. 

"It didn't go great in our interview," a "longtime AFC executive" told Pelissero about his club's meeting with Shedeur Sanders. "He wants to dictate what he's going to do and what's best for him. He makes you feel small."

While some previously thought the Cleveland Browns could make Sanders the draft's second pick, updates from multiple ESPN insiders shared on Wednesday morning indicated both the Browns and New York Giants (pick No. 3) will address other positions with their highest selections. 

Around the same time that the ESPN article went public, DraftKings Sportsbook listed the Pittsburgh Steelers as the betting favorites at +180 odds to draft Sanders. Pittsburgh began Wednesday holding the draft's 21st overall choice. 

"The dude's only played for his dad," one AFC coordinator added about Shedeur Sanders. "When things go wrong, it's not his fault. He takes a sack, he blames the O-line." 

Also on Wednesday morning, Ryan Novozinsky of NJ Advance Media for NJ.com mentioned that sources previously said "Sanders is closer to a Day 2 prospect than he is to Cam Ward, who will go No. 1 overall to the Titans on Thursday." It only takes one team to like Sanders enough to make him a first-round pick, but it sounds like there's a realistic chance he could still be on the board on Friday morning.