Ross Tucker walked out of the hotel and who did he see but Shedeur Sanders.
Earlier that day, Tucker, the former NFLer, and his CBS broadcast crew had been told that the Colorado quarterback would not be meeting them for their customary pregame session as promised ahead of a game against Colorado State.
“We weren’t really given a reason but we did not talk to Shedeur at the production meetings, which, as you know, starting quarterback, especially high-profile player like that, very unusual,” Tucker recalled on the “Dan Patrick Show” on Wednesday of the September developments.
NFL folks later peppered Tucker about his thoughts on Sanders, which would foreshadow the focus on Sanders both leading into and the NFL draft.
Many have wondered if those concerns played a large factor in why Sanders fell to the Browns in the fifth round at pick No. 144 overall, although some have said his talent played a large role.
Tucker’s story provided a glimpse into the little tales that can permeate league circles and factor into why a prospect may move up or down boards.
“NFL people asked me after that game, ‘What did you think of Shedeur?’ and I said, ‘I didn’t get to talk to him. Maybe he’s the greatest kid ever. Maybe he’s a bad kid. I don’t know, but I told them the story and they just kind of nodded their head and just made me wonder, Dan, how many stories are there like that in which Shedeur did things that were not customary? (That) He did things non traditionally?” Tucker said. “It certainly seemed like that was the deal with a lot of the combine interviews and meetings with teams and especially at that position, I think it makes them very nervous that already in college he was getting out of things you’re supposed to be doing. What’s he going to be like if he’s a first-round pick in the NFL draft?”
Tucker explained that the way prospects conduct themselves and how they treat other people matters, and there have been further reports on how Sanders operated in his pre-draft interviews.
Some reports indicated Sanders did not do well with teams he did not feel were good fits or potential destinations.
Jason Kelce mentioned on the latest “New Heights” podcast that teams would put up with some antics if they felt the talent outweighed the distractions, and the draft showed that some teams felt Shedeur did not have the capabilities to outweigh the off-the-field concerns.
Tucker said that once teams viewed Sanders as a quarterback, those worries grow larger since the backup quarterback should not be generating headlines.
“If he had Cam Ward’s talent, he still would have been a first-round pick. I think that the Titans would have taken Cam Ward instead of him, meaning the intangibles, the way he carries himself, that stuff matters. But if he was talented, I believe the Browns at two, the Giants at three, they would have taken him,” Tucker said. “You’re OK with having that level of attention if it’s your top-five pick, your starting quarterback. That goes along with it.
“We know this, from (Colin) Kaepernick to (Tim) Tebow, nobody wants the most high-profile quarterback on the team to be the backup quarterback. Nobody wants a lightning rod, polarizing backup quarterback.”
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