NFL Hall of Famer Cris Carter believes Shedeur Sanders threw away between $30 and $50 million in the pre-NFL Draft interview process.
Carter, widely regarded as one of the game’s greatest ever wideouts, led the NFL in receiving touchdowns on three occasions, earned three All-Pro selections and entered the Hall of Fame in 2013.
Sanders fell to the fifth round of the draft before eventually being selected with the 144th overall pick by the Cleveland Browns, ending an agonising wait of two-and-a-half days for the former Colorado quarterback.
Carter said: “You’re going for a job interview. He was so concerned about what his outfit was, his necklace was over 100 grand, he hadn’t even convinced people he was the face of their franchise.
“Matter of fact, he had convinced people they were better off going in a different direction even for people with lesser talent.
“He threw away at least $30 to $50 million.”
WATCH: Cris Carter’s rant on Shedeur Sanders
Holy Sh*t: The legendary Cris Carter goes OFF on Shedeur Sanders for throwing away at least $30 to $50 million in the NFL Draft, and makes it clear he doesn’t believe the NFL owners colluded against him:
“Sheduer and his family overplayed their hands…They taught him a great… pic.twitter.com/IvYcMCHniS
— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) April 29, 2025
Why did Shedeur Sanders fall to the fifth round?
There are a number of reasons attributed to Sanders’ fall, with the main thought to be his ‘entitled’ attitude. Reportedly, three teams took him off their draft boards because of it.
An NFL assistant coach revealed Sanders was the ‘worst formal interview’ he’s ever experienced, as well as explaining he takes unnecessary sacks, doesn’t play on time, has horrible body language and blames teammates.
Teams just didn’t think he is as good as he made himself out to be. He was projected to be a first-round pick, with potential landing spots at the New York Giants (No. 3), New Orleans Saints (No. 9) and Pittsburgh Steelers (No. 21).
League evaluators described his accuracy and arm strength as good but not great, mulled over his lack of a running threat and noticed his shorter throws tend to come out wobbly which presented a concern for teams who run quick timing routes.
Shedeur’s father Deion, current head coach at Colorado who won two Super Bowls in a Hall of Fame NFL career, touted him as a sure-fire top-five pick and publicly said his son would sit out for the season if certain undesirable teams drafted him.
Deion looks to have passed the same strong self-belief he has down to his son, but it appears to have shown as arrogance. Sanders opted out of combine workouts and rejected multiple team interviews, displaying a lack of respect for the draft process.
