Amid reports that Cleveland Browns quarterback Shedeur Sanders didn’t want to be drafted by the Baltimore Ravens, the rookie said that he isn’t worried about things that happened in the past.
“My response is I’m focused on the now,” Sanders said, per The Athletic’s Jeff Zrebiec and Zac Johnson. “I don’t really talk about anything in the past, and whatever happened in the past, it is what it is. I’m more focused on now, and I’m focused on this game we just had and figuring out how to move forward from that.”
Sanders added that he doesn’t “remember anything” that happened before he was drafted.
“You wouldn’t believe my memory don’t even go back that far,” he said. “I don’t remember anything (pre) draft. I remember I’m here, I go to practice every day, and there’s a 24-hour rule.”
ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported on Saturday that Baltimore planned to take Sanders with the No. 141 pick in the fifth round, but Sanders “let it be known to Baltimore that he didn’t want to be on a roster with Lamar Jackson, where he wouldn’t have a chance to play anytime soon.”
The Ravens went on to take offensive lineman Carson Vinson with the 141st pick, while the Browns drafted Sanders with the No. 144 pick just three picks later.
Sanders was widely projected to be a first-round pick after an outstanding final season at Colorado, but a peculiar approach to the pre-draft process contributed to his slide to the fifth round.
Sanders reportedly struggled to explain his mistakes on film and failed to identify intentionally-placed mistakes in an install that he was supposed to study beforehand. His pre-draft interviews reportedly indicated that he was intentionally trying to avoid being drafted by certain teams.
While many questioned Sanders’ approach to the draft, it was probably best for him not to end up on the Ravens roster. Had Baltimore selected him, it would have been nearly impossible to earn a starting job over two-time MVP Lamar Jackson, who is still just 28 years old and contractually tied to Baltimore until 2028.
Sanders still hasn’t claimed the starting job in Cleveland, but his odds of eventually becoming QB1 over Joe Flacco, Dillon Gabriel or Kenny Pickett are exponentially higher than they would have been in Baltimore.
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