“He has feelings”: Shannon Sharpe sympathizes with Shedeur Sanders as he responds to the “smear campaign” against him

Shedeur Sanders has faced a lot of scrutiny ahead of the 2025 NFL Draft. The former Colorado quarterback is one of the best prospects in the draft, but that hasn't stopped him from getting loads of bad press ahead of his big day.

While on "Nightcap," Shannon Sharpe spoke to Chad Johnson about the bad press around Coach Prime's QB son. Shannon said:

"I'm glad he (Shedeur Sanders) is doing a great job. But he's not a robot, Ocho. He sees these things, I mean he's on social media. He hears these things."

Sharpe continued:

"He's not a robot, he has feelings, and he has emotions. So no matter how much he tries to block it out, he hears the negativity and what they're saying."

Sharpe's words came after Deion Sanders Jr. asked Shedeur about his opinion regarding the "smear campaign" currently picking up steam around the 2024 Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award winner. Shedeur Sanders clearly hears all the noise, and he'll look to use it as fuel heading into his rookie season.

Will Shedeur Sanders be a Day 1 starter in the NFL?

There are currently five teams in the league that realistically might select a QB in the first round of the upcoming draft. These teams are the Tennessee Titans, Cleveland Browns, New York Giants, Las Vegas Raiders and Pittsburgh Steelers.

The Titans, Browns, and Giants currently lack a high-end QB1 heading into the 2025 season. Hence, if one of these teams draft Sanders, then he'll likely be a Day 1 starter.

However, the answer gets more speculative when talking about the Raiders and Steelers. The Raiders just brought in Geno Smith via a trade with the Seahawks while the Steelers are currently hosting Aaron Rodgers to a free agent meeting.

Sanders could join either the Raiders or Steelers and learn under the guidance of a perennial Pro Bowler. They could give Shedeur Sanders a solid background into the game especially without the pressures of being a top-3 pick.

However, one thing's for sure and that's the fact that Sanders will be ready to start from Day 1. The Colorado Buffaloes icon is built for this stage, and has been waiting since he took his first snap as QB1 for the Jackson State Tigers.