Browns QB Shedeur Sanders makes feelings known on criticism for being Deion Sanders' son during high school visit

Everyone knows that Shedeur Sanders is the son of Hall-of-Fame cornerback Deion Sanders. Both have been so closely intertwined that detractors have used this link as their justification to accuse the Cleveland Browns' fifth-round pick of not being as good as he thinks he is and getting his clout only via nepotism.

But when asked about the topic during a visit to John Marshall High School, he dismissed the gravity of the "tactic", saying:

“I am who I am. I’m always going to be his son… I’m thankful my dad took the opportunity to do what he was supposed to do. So I don’t ever feel shame or anything like that. I never let outside influence kind of influence me as a person... I’m not gonna let somebody else’s negative thoughts affect how I think.”

He was also blunt in what he envisioned himself doing as a Brown:

"I'm trying to bring Cleveland, of course, a Super Bowl."

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An inside story of how Shedeur Sanders' Draft slide germinated

When a player slides during the draft, as famously happened with future multiple-time MVP Aaron Rodgers two decades ago, insiders will be quick to analyze the factors behind it. In the case of Shedeur Sanders, his perceived arrogance has been cited as such, but Fox Sports' Henry McKenna has a more comprehensive account of it - one of close-mindedness and a failure to realize that perceptions of a prospect's attitude can reflect poorly on his Draft position.

It began when he interviewed with only the top seven teams at the Combine - after all, his father Deion had said that "there’s certain cities that ain’t gonna happen", an allusion to when Eli Manning forced a trade to the New York Giants in 2004. This is not unheard of, however. Cam Ward met with only three teams. Travis Hunter met with just nine. But there was a difference:

"Those two read the room correctly. They landed in the top two picks; Sanders didn’t. That’s because he didn’t maximize his time in his interviews."

One instance of this was when one of the said top-seven teams sent a playbook for Sanders to study before an interview. However, come the time for said interview, he reportedly showed up unprepared and instead interviewed the leadership about how they would support him.

And then, there was Deion. Many felt that he coddled his son as head coach in college, but he potentially damaged his son's stock by speaking out against the media narratives.

For instance, when an anonymous QB coach called Sanders "arrogant" at the Combine, Deion threatened to unveil his identity. And even after the quarterback's slide ended at No. 144, the former cornerback called the coverage of him "venomous".

This was in contrast to Jaxson Dart and Jalen Milroe, who each endeared themselves to coaches and executives with their welcoming yet steadfast approach.