Shedeur Sanders Reacts to Criticism About Deion, Says His Father 'Was Never a Burden'

Shedeur Sanders dropped to the fifth round of the NFL draft on Sunday, a shocking fall that became the talk of the event over the course of three days.

After his selection, Sanders was asked during a conference call with Browns' reporters if it was a burden having his father—NFL Hall of Famer Deion Sanders—as his head coach in college, given the massive attention directed at Colorado the past two seasons.

"It was never a burden," he responded (5:20 mark). "It's never a burden, I wouldn't look [at it that way]. I feel like God makes everybody have their own routes and this is just my route. It's nothing I would be able to go back and wish that wasn't my dad because I'm truly thankful for him being there and the structure I have. So it's never really a burden. Other kids in similar situations, I want them to be proud of what their fathers have accomplished. So then you could carry on a legacy, carry on the family name, and not really be ashamed about it. I don't like when people make people feel ashamed about it."

The Sanders drop will be discussed for years to come, largely because most draft pundits expected the former Colorado quarterback to be selected by the second round, at the absolute latest. But there were questions about how Sanders interviewed with teams and whether they wanted to sign up for the spectacle that has followed the Sanders' family in recent seasons fair or not.

Ultimately, he remained on the board far longer than expecting, though now he'll have a legitimate chance to win the starting job in Cleveland next season and prove that 31 other teams made a mistake.