The NFL Draft enters Day 3 today, with rounds 4-7. With the Draft in its last day, this is a day for teams to find diamond in the rough prospects, players that can be developed into better players than their overall selection would suggest, and for teams to find players that have seen their draft stock fall, for whatever reasons.
Of course, this is where Colorado QB Shedeur Sanders comes in. Shedeur has been the talk of the NFL Draft all weekend long. And it hasn’t been about how he will help the team that drafted him get to Super Bowls. No, it’s because Shedeur is still available to be drafted as we enter the 4th round of the NFL Draft. Sanders was projected to be a 1st round pick and possibly even in the top 10 of the draft! Instead, 5 other quarterbacks have been taken by teams so far. No one knows when the draft weekend fall will end, but there are important lessons here for everyone. No matter who you are, how old you are, or what profession you’re in, we as humans can and should take some things away from this very public situation.
People, and by extension employers, don’t typically want loud and boisterous people working for them. Humility and perspective go a long way. Of course, whether you’re a stockbroker, doctor, or football player, employers will generally put up with the drama and noise when you’re an elite talent. Shedeur Sanders isn’t the first and won’t be the last NFL player to be arrogant or cocky. After all, NFL players are known to be cocky. But when Deion Sanders, Shedeur’s famous father, makes noise as well, Shedeur gives the air of not trying hard in pre-draft interviews with teams he didn’t think would be able to take him, and all of the NIL related ventures while Sanders was at Colorado, it’s easy to see how all of this may not be worth it to NFL teams.
Let’s be honest. NFL teams have long employed people with questionable character. In recent history, Greg Hardy, Tyreek Hill, Adrian Peterson, and Aaron Hernandez were all recent or current NFL players that have had trouble with the law, yet they had long careers even with these facts known. Why? Because the talent they possessed on the field was worth putting up with the off-the-field antics.
The lesson here for fans and people everywhere is simple, yet timeless: be humble. Be hungry. Don’t act like the most important person in the room. Have a little perspective.
Hopefully Shedeur Sanders comes into the NFL humbled and ready to prove everyone wrong. That is a Shedeur Sanders that can lead a team to the Super Bowl.