Cam Newton delivers verdict on Shedeur Sanders' draft stock after Giants lose their No. 1 pick

Cam Newton wasn’t a fan of how Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders finished his college career. That performance, along with the New York Giants win over the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday, may have changed the draft outlook.

At the time the Alamo Bowl was played, the Giants had the No. 1 overall pick in April’s draft. Sanders wore a pair of Giants cleats in the pregame, saying they were related to the team he would play for in the NFL.

However, Sanders had his worst performance of the season against BYU, going 16-for-23 for 208 yards, two touchdowns, and two picks. The controversial former Auburn Tigers star wondered what the Colorado quarterback could do before the draft to push his stock back up. Newton spoke his thoughts on Thursday’s edition of “4th&1 With Cam Newton.”

"I don’t know if he’s gonna perform in the combine, I don’t know if he’s gonna run. I don’t know if he’s going to do any other things outside of the normally top-tier quarterbacks," Newton said. "They just wait for their pro day. But that’s the last display people will have to sit on until they pick you for the draft,"

Unlike other critics, Newton didn’t aim at Sanders wearing New York Giants cleats in the pregame, rather than his performance in the Alamo Bowl.

“Everything about pregame I approve. Everything that happened during the game, I disapprove,” Newton added.

Shedeur Sanders and Colorado were routed by the BYU Cougars. (Image Source: Imagn)

Before last weekend’s games, everything seemed to point at the Giants taking a quarterback, either Sanders or Miami quarterback Cam Ward. However, the result pushed New York down to the fourth pick in the draft.

While things could change in Week 18, a couple of teams with quarterback needs would pick before New York, with the Tennessee Titans and Cleveland Browns slotted to pick second and third, there is no guarantee Sanders or Ward could still be available in the fourth pick.

Cam Newton shoots down the notion of teams purposely tanking

While popular belief says teams tank in order to get a higher draft pick, Cam Newton was quick to nip in the bud. The former Carolina Panthers quarterback said every player is there to win the game.

“I don’t know a team that just says ‘we are gonna lose this one fellas’, because if that woulda be the case, why would you even practice if you know you are gonna tank,” Newton said.

The 2015 MVP went on to list different teams and situations that played out in recent weeks as a way to prove his point.

“You think Drew Lock wasn’t trying to m—g win? Hello, are you there? You think Jerod Mayo was trying to get his team whooped like that? Hell no, we all playing for something. You think Antonio Pierce, coach was just saying ‘we are gonna tank for Shedeur?’ Bro, you might not even be here to make the Draft pick,” Newton added.

To their credit, both the Giants and the Las Vegas Raiders won games that pushed them out of the first overall draft pick in the last two weeks. With nine teams having between three and four wins entering the final week of the season, there are still many scenarios that could play out for the first overall pick in April’s NFL draft.