Shedeur Sanders gets 100% real on being called out for habit of patting the ball - "They always move the goalposts with me"

Shedeur Sanders is, without a doubt, the most polarizing prospect of the 2025 NFL draft. He has been praised for his accuracy, toughness and unwavering confidence, but he has also been criticized for his lack of arm strength, pocket awareness, and allegedly, a sense of entitlement based on who his father is.

But some detractors have found another knock against him: he pats the hallway too much before passing it, even though other quarterbacks have done it, and still do it, with little to no blowback. And he addressed the issue when speaking to Kay Adams on "Up & Adams" on Thursday:

"I think me patting the ball got me to where I am now. I don't see what's wrong... They always move the goalposts with me. So that's why mentally, you gotta always be tough with everything that there is, because you can never seek validation or happiness through outside people. You gotta find that within yourself."

He also discussed the issue on NFL Network's The Insiders with Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero while at Pittsburgh International Airport:

"That wasn't a thing before pro day. I don't get in trouble off the field, so it's kind of hard for them to create storylines for the media. Keep that [energy] going, though. It's just gonna be fun with the next story."

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Shedeur Sanders is not afraid to be himself during pre-draft meetings

The adage "like father, like son" certainly applies to Shedeur Sanders whenever his attitude is brought up. His father, NFL legend and Colorado coach, Deion Sanders, was not afraid to show the world how great he was, and the quarterback himself has shown that he is not afraid to be "authentic" when he talks with people.

In that same The Insiders conversation, he likened himself to "an open book" with all sorts of questions:

"Some get offended, some like it, some don't. Make some people uncomfortable, some people invite that. They know what type of person and what type of player they're gonna get out of me, so I just have to make sure what type of culture or what type of dynamic I'm going to have with them also."

He continued:

"I understand the work it's gonna take and see the dynamic of everybody that's around, so I know how I approach different situations and what I'm gonna have to do to be successful in different franchises. So I'm just sitting back observing, just watching everything and all of what's gonna take to win and change the franchise for the better."

The 2025 NFL draft will be held from April 24 to 26, with most media coverage to occur on ESPN.