The Shedeur Sanders narrative refuses to die down, and NFL insider Josina Anderson just added gasoline to the fire.
The former Colorado quarterback was already one of the most scrutinized prospects in the 2025 NFL Draft. Now, a pre-draft rumor about his supposed lack of preparation has sparked major pushback from Anderson and Deion Sanders alike.
Josina Anderson Blasts ‘Unprepared’ Label, Defends Shedeur Sanders
Following commentary from Jason McIntyre on “The Herd,” which blamed Deion for creating a “circus” around his son, Anderson took to X with a full-throated defense of Shedeur.
Anderson didn’t hold back: “As for the comment about Shedeur being ‘unprepared’ in a pre-Draft visit: To begin, that word on its own has a much deeper layer of stereotypical negativity speaking directly to study, performance & aptitude. Pause.”
She continued, suggesting the entire accusation was not only unfounded but deliberately damaging. “Even if Shedeur was fully ‘unprepared,’ which he wasn’t…why were we only hearing that connotation about Shedeur?” Anderson asked.
No games have started, you know, when the actual players play.
Team performance will be the ultimate judge here by seasons’ end, not Deion Sanders’ commentary on a offseason podcast when all teams are 0-0 preseason champions.
Sanders free speech comments have nothing to do… https://t.co/JokYWfAzym
— JosinaAnderson (@JosinaAnderson) June 3, 2025
Her statement called out the selective leaks made to NFL Draft analyst Todd McShay, which painted Shedeur in a negative light during a pre-draft meeting with the New York Giants. “So every prospect that walked through the doors in New York nailed their meeting 1000 percent?” she challenged.
Anderson also referenced a separate unnamed player who was late to their Giants meeting but didn’t receive the same level of criticism. The double standard, she implied, was glaring.
Deion Sanders and the Media Firestorm
McIntyre’s initial take, that teams may have passed on Shedeur due to Deion’s outspoken media presence, clearly struck a nerve.
“This is why Shedeur Sanders fell in the draft,” he said Monday. “It was probably 50% Deion, 50% Shedeur. I’m now thinking, NFL front offices were just like, ‘No thank you.’”
That line of thinking didn’t sit well with Deion, who fired back during an appearance on the “Say What Needs To Be Said” podcast.
“Shedeur Sanders? Who has had six different coordinators, who has still functioned and went up, leveled up every time we brought somebody new in, and you’re going to tell me he was unprepared?” Deion asked. “And you’re going to tell me he walked in with headphones on?…Y’all, come on now.”
The Browns ultimately drafted Shedeur in the fifth round after picking up Oregon QB Dillon Gabriel in the third. Cleveland finished 3-14 last season and was widely expected to target a quarterback at the top of the draft.
Instead, they waited. And that decision, plus the growing perception battle surrounding Shedeur, has turned their offseason into one of the league’s most talked-about storylines.
With Anderson going nuclear on the critics and Deion refusing to back down, all eyes will remain on Shedeur when the actual games begin. Until then, the war of words isn’t slowing down.
