Damien Woody on NFL message to Shedeur Sanders: ‘You’re not that dude’

There was no story that dominated the NFL Draft like Colorado Buffaloes quarterback Shedeur Sanders falling into the fifth round. After widely being seen as a first round prospect, it was a surprise that everyone is now trying to better understand.

While trying to make sense of the slide that Shedeur Sanders went on, former NFL player turned analyst Damien Woody made an appearance on Get Up. There, he bluntly explained that this was the NFL’s way of telling Sanders that he’s not that dude.

“I think the NFL sent the message saying, ‘You’re not that dude.’ Honestly, that’s the message. The overwhelming message I saw when Shedeur slid to the fifth round, the NFL was basically saying, ‘You’re not that guy. You’re good, but you’re not that guy.'”

In 2024, Sanders had a massive statistical season with Colorado. He completed 74 percent of his passes for 4,134 yards and 37 touchdowns to 10 interceptions. That was just part of why many analysts, like ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr. were excited about him as a prospect. Kiper went so far as to have him as the top-rated quarterback in the NFL Draft. Clearly, however, there was a disconnect between that and NFL evaluations.

One major criticism of Shedeur Sanders that was reported amid his slide in the NFL Draft was how he handled the pre-draft process. That included skipping events and performing poorly in interviews. While for each team those issues likely had different levels of importance, they did become a storyline in their own right.

“Because I’m here to tell everyone out there who watches the NFL Draft, who loves the NFL,” Woody said. “Trust me when I tell you this, if you’re that guy, they’re going to pick you in the first round. Because the NFL and all these teams are in the winning business. If you can help a team win, they are going to pick you. The NFL clearly felt that Shedeur Sanders was a good prospect, but he wasn’t what the young people call, he wasn’t him. Okay?”

Another aspect of Shedeur Sanders that Damien Woody speculated NFL teams had concerns about was his celebrity. A lot of attention comes with him, which can be difficult to downplay. So, if he’s not that dude who they’re convinced can change their franchise, it makes him less valuable as a prospect.

“Then, on top of that, you factor all the celebrity and everything that comes with Shedeur Sanders,” Woody said. “I’m not sitting here and I’m not the guy who’s downplaying, it’s the NFL who ultimately said, ‘You know what? When you combine the fact that we don’t think you are him, and you have all this celebrity and everything that comes with you, that is the ultimate recipe for why you found yourself in the fifth round.'”

Regardless of why he may have fallen in the NFL Draft, Shedeur Sanders did get drafted. Now, he has the opportunity to tell NFL evaluators they were wrong and that he is that dude.