During the NFL Draft, the world was shocked to see quarterback Shedeur Sanders fall into the fifth round of the draft, where he was eventually picked by the Cleveland Browns with the 144th pick. Among the stunned masses was New York Giants wide receiver Malik Nabers. However, Nabers wasn’t just surprised, he was frustrated.
The young wide receiver recently joined 7PM in Brooklyn, hosted by New York legend Carmelo Anthony, and talked about how he felt as he watched Sanders go much later than expected. Simply put, Nabers felt the league allowed a ton of other factors, aside from Sanders’ ability, to push him down the draft board. The Giants receiver argued that it was unfair to Sanders, and all other players really, and Nabers admits that he “lost a little bit of respect” for the league after watching what happened to the young quarterback.
Malik Nabers says he lost a little respect for the NFL after Shedeur Sanders fell to the fifth round
Nabers argued that most of the on-field critiques of Sanders ignored the quarterback’s circumstances throughout college. Despite Sanders playing in less-than-ideal situations at times, the Giants receiver still saw how good of a quarterback Sanders is, and says no one can knock his play.
However, Nabers knows the quarterback’s draft experience was about more than his play; that’s why he made it clear that the attack on Sanders’ character and personality is what really upset him. In addition to saying Sanders’ off-field personality has nothing to do with how he plays football, Nabers expressed that everyone has different personalities, and they shouldn’t be judged for that. The team’s job is for those personalities to come together and win.
He also reminded everyone that Sanders is a reflection of his father Deion Sanders, so it only makes sense that he carries himself the way he does. That’s why he feels Shedeur falling in the draft was the NFL kind of sending a message to the Sanders family, and that’s what made Nabers lose a little respect for the league. He feels that the message the league sent could affect the future of Black youth and Black quarterbacks, and he’s not a fan of that.
Nabers and Sanders went viral together back in December when a video was shared online of them playing catch together in a New York street. For a while, it seemed like Sanders would be Nabers’ quarterback, but the Giants decided to draft Jaxson Dart instead. Nabers will move forward with Dart, Russell Wilson, and Jameis Winston throwing him he ball, and he’ll just support Shedeur Sanders, who’s in Cleveland, from afar.