Here’s to Shedeur Sanders (or any player) trying to avoid the NFL draft

Let’s start by reminding you that the NFL draft is patently unfair to players entering the league. Yes, the draft has been an establishment since 1936 and only just a few people query its authority. But this doesn’t mean that the process is correct.

You shouldn’t have to work in, say, Green Bay, Wisconsin, simply because the Packers drafted you. Aside from any personal connections to cities like Buffalo, New York or Jacksonville, Florida, many young men wouldn’t start their careers with the Bills or Jaguars in the event that they had the alternative.

Players go where they’re sent because the system offers a pleasant bag, ignoring their personal desires. Conquering hallowed by tradition is nearly unthinkable and requires quite a lot of bile, ego and nerve from anyone who dares.

Someone like Deion Sanders could check these boxes. The Hall of Famer did well and played well in 1989 when Atlanta drafted him out of Florida State fifth overall. But as Colorado’s head coach, he says point guard Shedeur Sanders and two-way star Travis Hunter won’t be as receptive when it’s their turn next yr.

“I know where I want them to go,” Prime told Coach “The Million Dollar Game” podcast on Friday. “So for some cities it won’t be possible. That will be Eli.”

Quarterback Eli Manning shook up the NFL when he refused to play for the San Diego Chargers, who drafted him No. 1 overall out of Mississippi in 2004. Manning decided to follow in the footsteps of quarterback John Elway – the patron saint of avoiding the NFL draft – who told the Baltimore Colts not to come to town in 1983 after being chosen with the first overall pick.

These rebels wanted to withdraw and so they got their wish; Baltimore traded Elway to the Denver Broncos and San Diego traded Manning to the New York Giants. Each quarterback won two Super Bowls and have become living legends who never played anywhere else.

Despite the duo’s undisputed success, nobody else has emulated their power play.

USC quarterback Caleb Williams could possibly be next if he doesn’t like the idea of ​​playing for Chicago. Any sign of reluctance or defiance could dissuade the Bears from choosing him as the No. 1 pick next month. Williams’ father suggested his son could return to USC if the draft results were unpleasant, but the QB quashed speculation that he was wary of Chicago.

“If I get drafted by the Bears, I’ll be thrilled,” Williams he said ESPN. “If they trade the pick and I get picked by someone else, I’ll be just as excited.”

This customary approach is accepted by players and expected by fans. Rookies should adhere to established norms, which include “taking one for the team” on draft night. The young newcomers must be too blissful and too honored to weigh their very own interests. Stay humble, otherwise you can be considered a selfish ingrate.

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Chicago is delighted that Williams is following tradition as an alternative of doing the same as Manning and Elway. Former NFL star Robert Griffin III urged Williams to break ranks and avoid a franchise that abused Justin Fields. “Caleb Williams should pull Eli Manning and tell the Chicago Bears I’M NOT COMING” – RG3 he tweeted. Many members of the media advised quarterback Joe Burrow reject the Cincinnati Bengalsmaking it number one in 2020.

Burrow stuck to the script and turned the Bengals around, leading them to two AFC championship games and a Super Bowl appearance. Williams could do the same in a serious media market with a legendary sports history. Perhaps his pre-draft attitude would have been the same no matter which team chosen first. That would not seem to be the case for Chicago if the presumptive alternative was Shedeur Sanders.

“I don’t want my child to be cold anywhere next year” – Coach Prime he said Talks about football.

What’s cold to him could also be crisp to me, but his definition could cut the league in half. And that is without knowing whether places like Detroit and Minnesota count, given their indoor stadiums. The short list is teams that play outdoors in warm weather.

However, there’s nothing incorrect with players trying to exert some control during the draft process, which is equally unfair and unnecessary. Take the quarterback for instance.

There are 32 openings to start with, and never all top prospects can play in New York, Los Angeles or Miami, regardless of how desirable those outposts could also be. The position in Houston, where CJ Stroud just won AP Offensive Rookie of the Year, may not open for 15 years. The composition of a team could also be more attractive than its location.

Which hot prospect has a crush on Kansas City and needs to sit behind Patrick Mahomes?

Shedeur Sanders could pull Eli and have some teams pass him up in next yr’s draft. More power to him or anyone else who has the crucial leverage and patience to pull this off. The price may include waiting until the next draft, which is simpler if the player is not concerned about money.

Williams didn’t go the entire route, but he flexed a bit at the NFL Combine. He could have been the first person invited who later attended the event refuses to participate in mass medical examinations. Neither he nor fellow top prospect Jayden Daniels threw at the mix. Top wing prospect Marvin Harrison skipped the event and took it a step further by choosing it skip Ohio State’s pro daywhen NFL teams screen draft prospects on campus.

“The players now understand that they don’t have to maintain the status quo, they don’t have to sit here and respond to everything they tell them anymore” – Griffin he said on ESPN. He won’t be surprised if Shedeur Sanders goes against the norm of accepting his fate without grievance or manipulation.

“This is an era of player empowerment and you can see it coming in the NFL,” Griffin said.

Come on.