Tom Brady shares private message he sent to Shedeur Sanders after NFL Draft slide
Shedeur Sanders was once considered a surefire first-round pick but instead ended up waiting nearly 7 hours to hear his name called in the second round of the NFL Draft
Tom Brady has shared some insider info about touching base with Shedeur Sanders following his unexpected fall during the draft day. Projected initially as a hot commodity for the first or second round, Sanders found himself waiting an excruciating 608 minutes before the Cleveland Browns called his name.
The delay caused quite a stir among fans, sparking conspiracy theories that were later proved false. However, Tom Brady, donning his Raiders minority owner's hat, didn't hold back in offering some veteran advice to the former Colorado quarterback, who has been denied his dream jersey number.
Speaking on the 'IMPAULSIVE' podcast with none other than Jake Paul, the NFL legend talked shop and admitted his confusion over the draft outcome, candidly saying he's not involved in the "evaluation process." He also critiqued the media’s handling of Sanders' coverage before divulging what he texted to the young player.
"And I actually texted Shedeur, because I know him very well. And I said, 'Dude, like whatever happens, wherever you go, like that's your first day'.
"Day two matters more than the draft. I was 199. So who could speak on it better than me? Like what that really means. Use it as motivation. You're going to get your chances. Go take advantage of it,'" shared Brady on the podcast.
Brady then compared Sanders' experience to that of Aaron Rodgers, who also saw his draft position fall, though not as sharply as the former Buffaloes standout. "So use it as motivation," Brady advised.
"Like wherever you end up going, it's about your performance. Like, what do you do when you get there? Because you're going to get there. I've also been there on day two and they got to show up and actually learn a playbook, learn, be a part of a locker room. And there's a lot of growth that needs to happen."
Despite the twists of his draft journey, Sanders had a clear message for the Browns. "The main thing, I'm just proving - coach (Kevin) Stefanski and (general manager Andrew) Berry - that they are right," he expressed post-draft. "That's it. They're right about picking me. I'm a good decision. I'm a good draft pick for them, to be able to come in there and do what I need to do."
"I know I'm going to fit in perfectly. I feel like it's first getting in, showing respect to the vets, showing them I'm here ready to work.
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"Show the coaches and have them understand, I'm here ready to work. So, they could actually understand the real me. That's what I'm truly thankful to have, is the opportunity for people to actually see the real me and not be able to see stuff that could be true or not."
While the exact reason teams overlooked the young player remains unspoken, there's speculation that doubts about Sanders' athleticism and ability played a role in his slide down the selection order.
ESPN's Pete Thamel revealed insight from team discussions: "I talked to about half a dozen teams today... They just thought that he wasn't a first-round talent and a first-round player.
"They wanted to see him more throwing in rhythm. They wanted to see him show a little bit more athleticism. He's considered a mediocre athlete who didn't have enough film that they thought immediately translated."