Shedeur Sanders has been one of the most polarizing names during the draft process. To the surprise of many, the first two days of the NFL Draft came and went, and Sanders had still not had his name called yet.
A video of fans prank-calling Sanders during the draft recently surfaced online. The video shows them telling him he’d need to “wait a little longer” to hear his name called.
Video Surfaces of a Prank Call to Sanders During the Draft
In the apparent prank call, Sanders was told, “We’re gonna take you with the next pick, man,” by a fan wearing an Ole Miss shirt. After getting a response, the fan responded, “You’re gonna have to wait a little longer,” before hanging up the phone.
🔥🚨BREAKING: The young man who prank called Shedeur Sanders pretending to be the GM of The NFL New Orleans Saints uploaded the footage of him calling Shedeur. pic.twitter.com/ZlLIszxeiu
— Dom Lucre | Breaker of Narratives (@dom_lucre)
At one point in the draft process, Sanders was expected to be a top-five selection, and as the process went along, his name began to slip.
Teams such as the New York Giants, Cleveland Browns, New Orleans Saints, and Pittsburgh Steelers were often linked to Sanders throughout the process.
After the Tennessee Titans selected Miami quarterback Cam Ward first overall, the next quarterback wasn’t selected until the Giants traded up in the first round for Ole Miss quarterback Jaxson Dart. In the second round, the Saints were the only team to select a quarterback, taking Tyler Shough out of Louisville.
In Round 3, the Seattle Seahawks selected Alabama’s Jalen Milroe with the pick they acquired from the Las Vegas Raiders for Geno Smith.
Steelers and Browns Continually Passed on Sanders
While each of the teams above was linked to Sanders, the Browns and Steelers surprised fans the most.
Cleveland made four selections before addressing the quarterback position in the NFL Draft. Defensive tackle Mason Graham, linebacker Carson Schwesinger, running back Quinshon Judkins, and tight end Harold Fannin Jr. were the first four selections for the team. However, their fifth selection came as the most surprising, Oregon quarterback Dillon Gabriel.
The six-year collegiate quarterback completed 72.9% of his passes for 3,857 yards, 30 touchdowns, and six interceptions. He holds the FBS record for career touchdown passes with 155.
Pittsburgh has Mason Rudolph and Skylar Thompson as the only quarterbacks under contract, and through four rounds, it did not address the quarterback position at all. Oregon defensive tackle Derrick Harmon, Iowa running back Kaleb Johnson, and Ohio State edge rusher Jack Sawyer were the team’s first three selections.
With no quarterback selected, the team’s connection to free agent quarterback Aaron Rodgers only continues to grow, with a potential Kirk Cousins trade looming as another possibility.
Sanders Finds a Home in Cleveland
After selecting Gabriel in Round 3, the Browns decided to double-dip at the quarterback position, selecting Sanders in the fifth round with the 144th overall pick.
How Cleveland plans to utilize its two new quarterbacks remains to be seen. But the two join a crowded quarterback room that includes Kenny Pickett, Deshaun Watson, and Joe Flacco.
After a whirlwind of a draft weekend, Sanders will surely have a chip on his shoulder and look to prove the doubters wrong in Cleveland.
