Travis Kelce knows what it’s like to be Shedeur Sanders during the NFL draft, sliding down the board due to alleged character concerns.
Kelce only dropped to the third round and the 63rd overall pick, while Sanders slipping to the fifth round and the 144th overall selection became the biggest storyline of the draft.
That anonymous reports bashing Sanders for how he conducted himself during interviews to his overall demeanor potentially factored into the fall irked the Chiefs’ star tight end.
“I think whoever’s the f–king anonymous person that’s f–king saying this should f–king come out and say who they were. Like, what the f–k is that about?” Kelce said on the latest “New Heights” podcast. “Like, if you’re going to f–king leak that type of s–t, f–king be the one that says, ‘Yeah, it just didn’t go well for us.’ Don’t f–king say we’re anonymous, ya know? That’s so f–king lame. I just feel like there’s no validity to it.”
Sanders’ slide from a potential No. 1 overall pick to being selected by the Browns with the 144th pick on Saturday dominated storylines all weekend, with pundits and fans attempting to figure out the cause.
Many pointed to the concerns about Sanders’ attitude, while others focused on whether teams passed on the Colorado quarterback due to a belief that he isn’t all that good.
It’s one thing for a player to slip out of the first round. It’s another to go roughly 140 picks between where some projected, with the Browns and Giants linked to Sanders at No. 2 and No. 3, respectively.
Kelce believes Shedeur’s talent is greater than that of a fifth-rounder.
“What I saw of the film, I thought he was a way higher pick, and I think that’s all I think should matter. It doesn’t seem like he’s a terrible person. It seems like he’s just a motivated football player that is part of a big football family,” Kelce said. “Him and his father have kind of taken over the NCAA football for the past three to four years. Whether that’s something NFL teams quote unquote didn’t want to deal with, I feel like this is going to be such a fresh start for him. I can see him working his ass off and becoming the starting quarterback in Cleveland at some point, for sure.”
Co-host and brother Jason Kelce essentially said that teams did not think Shedeur’s talent outweighed whatever concerns they may have had since teams will take players with questionable backgrounds, even criminal ones, provided that player is going to help them win games.
“If these teams really felt that Shedeur Sanders was a top first-round talent they would’ve picked him,” Jason said. “You mean to tell me if Michael Vick had these same exact off-field things happening or if Michael Vick’s exact talent, he wouldn’t have been taken in the first round? Of course he would’ve.
“Teams said on draft day they don’t think Shedeur Sanders’ potential warrants being drafted that high at the next level. … There’s too many players with character issues, with concerns every year coming out about criminal behavior, off-field antics and other things that get drafted in the first round. And they get drafted in the first round because they’re ballers and the NFL wants great players. The fact that he got drafted at 144 in the fifth round tells me that maybe these off-the-field things mattered a little, but the bottom line is teams just do not think the potential of Shedeur Sanders panning out at the next level is high enough to warrant an earlier pick. And teams get this wrong all the time.”
The Kelce brothers are Ohio natives and both are pulling for Sanders to stabilize what has been a revolving door of siganl-callers.
“I love this for Cleveland. God, I love this for Cleveland. I really do, man. The Browns fan deep down in my heart is like f–k, yeah,” Travis said. “You get a swag champ that works his ass off that has something to prove now, not that he didn’t before, but he’s got that chip on his shoulder, I’m sure because of how much he dropped.”
Added Jason: “I’m rooting for him. Talk about a great story. I hope he makes it and he brings all of the people he brought with him to the meetings to the contract that he signs after he f–king leads them to some playoff game. I hope this just happens in the biggest f–k you to everybody around there questioning that side of things.”
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