Yes, Shedeur Sanders has a few things working for him that most other prospects don’t. And being Deion Sanders’ son is one of them. But should that be the reason people start pushing him down the draft board? Ever since the NFL Combine happened and an anonymous coach came out calling Sanders “brash” and “arrogant,” the Colorado star just can’t catch a break. Every few days, it’s a new wave of criticism. And now, the internet’s on fire about his throwing mechanics. 

By now, you’ve probably come across multiple headlines calling out Shedeur Sanders for patting the ball before throwing it. A super tiny detail, honestly, the kind of thing you’d need to slow the tape down to 0.25x speed just to even catch. But somehow, it’s become a full-blown talking point. On the latest episode of Nightcap, Shannon Sharpe and Chad “Ochocinco” Johnson also weighed in on people blowing Shedeur Sanders’s habit of patting the football before throwing it way out of proportion. And Chad was not having any of it. The episode kicked off with Shannon Sharpe reading out a few X posts from draft analysts and players, all poking at Shedeur’s ‘bad habit’ of patting the football before a throw. Chad, cool as ever, weighed in with a straight face and dropped some real talk.

“Quarterbacks have been patting the ball since the beginning of time. It’s a part of rhythm throwing as well… Sometimes you pat, sometimes you don’t. Sometimes the pat is for the timing of the actual throw, waiting for the receiver to get open.” The former WR pointed out that sometimes the QB needs to wait that extra beat for the receiver to get open; that’s where the patting comes in. It’s not bad mechanics, it’s situational. Different routes demand different timing, and not every play is designed for a quick release. 

Johnson, in his straight, no-BS approach, asked the critics to “turn on the film” and see for themselves. He pointed out that every single NFL quarterback does exactly what people are coming at Shedeur for. “Watch all 32 NFL quarterbacks on drop back passes. You’ll see all of them take hitches, and you’ll see all of them pat the ball,” he said. 

The issue, as he sees it, isn’t Shedeur’s game, but people grasping for something to complain about. “That’s called nitpicking. Trying to find something wrong to say and then you loud and wrong. You loud and wrong,” added Johnson. But this whole ball-patting narrative is just a small piece of the noise swirling around Shedeur right now. The Colorado QB is now in a whirlwind of opinions. And it’s starting to show in the way mock drafts have been treating him lately.

Draft boards wobbling on Shedeur Sanders

Before the NFL Combine, Shedeur Sanders was the top overall prospect. But after the Combine, the Colorado star dropped a few spots behind Miami’s Cam Ward and even his teammate, Travis Hunter. The teams with the top two picks -the Titans and the Browns – are both in need of a quarterback. 

While Cam Newton and Shedeur still remain as the top two QB prospects. Sanders has now slipped down to the 21st pick in some mock drafts. Initially, he was projected to land in Tennessee or Cleveland. Now, the 23-year-old is believed to possibly fall to Pittsburgh. The Steelers are still trying to figure out their long-term quarterback situation, and with the No. 21 overall pick in the first round, Shedeur Sanders could very well be their answer.

And besides all the nitpicky stuff, another reason for this slide is the lingering concern around Shedeur’s athleticism and arm strength. Questions about the Colorado QB’s arm have been floating around for a while now. A lot of analysts seem to think he might not have the physical tools that usually define those top-tier quarterback prospects. Because of that, he might not be high on every team’s radar. On top of that, anonymous coaches and overanalyzed film breakdowns have only added to the noise, making the surrounding conversation messier than ever.

So, what do you think will he be able to sneak back into the top 10, proving the doubters wrong and silencing the noise?