NFL agent breaks down Trump's impact in Shedeur Sanders saga

After Shedeur Sanders fell out of the first round of the NFL Draft on Thursday President Donald Trump plunged the situation into the political realm on Friday afternoon Trump's Truth Social post calling NFL owners stupid for not drafting Sanders and calling for the quarterback to be picked THIS INSTANT became one of the majority of unexpected moments of an unprecedented draft slide Sanders was ultimately not picked THIS INSTANT as Trump ordered as the quarter slipped out of the second and third rounds later on Friday night Sanders did not end up getting taken until the fifth round on Saturday with the th pick by the Cleveland Browns Still Trump's press secretary Karoline Leavitt took the liberty of crediting Trump's post for Sanders getting picked at all All I will say is the president put out a comment and a scarce rounds later he was drafted So I think the facts speak for themselves now Leavitt advised reporters on Monday However famed NFL agent Leigh Steinberg is not so quick to credit Trump for helping Sander get taken I would want to be in a very divided country where there's extreme opinions on both sides of the spectrum as a-political as doable Steinberg recounted Fox News Digital about what his reaction would be if Trump called for one of his clients to be drafted SHEDEUR SANDERS DRAFT SLIDE TIMELINE NFL EXECUTIVES CAUSE MEDIA MELTDOWN BY REJECTING POLARIZING PROSPECTSteinberg who has represented a record-breaking eight players taken with the first overall pick in the NFL Draft does not believe that Trump's post had a big impact on the outcome of Sanders' draft I don't think so because teams are tightly focused in their war rooms across the country and they know who they want and I don't see a group downgrading him because of the involvement of a political figure Steinberg reported Still Steinberg believes that Trump's weighing in heightened the scope of the situation in terms of publicity It certainly did that because it involved the whole segment of the populace that follows the president but might not have otherwise conscious of what was going on Steinberg disclosed Additionally with added attention may come an unexpected benefit to Sanders even if it did not help his draft stock Steinberg explained that he believes that Trump's praise of the quarterback will ultimately enhance Sanders' reputational value and his marketability as an NFL pro going forward now that he in the end has a company Sanders was once projected to contend for the top overall pick in the draft and potentially be presumed as a team's starter right away SHEDEUR SANDERS OPENS UP ON HISTORICA NFL DRAFT SLIDE PRANK CALL AND BECOMING A BROWNHowever reports of Sanders interviewing poorly with teams and rumored character concerns emerged in the months and weeks leading up to the draft and he ultimately suffered an unprecedented slide to the fifth round Steinberg himself was surprised as he expected Sanders to be picked in the second round The agent who has represented athletes for more than years says Sanders' draft slide was the the majority surprising draft slide that he has ever seen It's being played out by a national audience and it distorts time because it seems like endless and the player's being rejected and rejected and rejected and it's like a death by a thousand cuts Steinberg stated This is as precipitous a fall as I've seen in my years As a veteran agent with a history of getting quarterbacks drafted high Steinberg believes there are certain things that Sanders could have done to help his draft stock in For one Steinberg says the quarterback could have benefited from having an agent of his own as Sanders opted to represent himself with his father and former college coach Deion Sanders Had the family opted to go with an agent instead then Steinberg expects they would have run an interview simulation with an NFL general manager before the NFL combine as Steinberg did with a large number of of his clients in the past We bring in a general manager who prepares a athlete for those one-on-one visits at the combine Steinberg announced The players are prepare for whatever questions are to be required and the competitor advances the proper attitude which is they need to be self-confident but not arrogant NFL DRAFT QUARTERBACK MISTAKES THAT SHAPED LEAGUE LANDSCAPESteinberg also says he would tell a quarterback client to scale back on social media activity and attempt to gain publicity if he felt it had become too much if he had such a client Any sense that it would be a circus-like atmosphere for the group that drafted him would not be something they'd want for their tradition Steinberg stated Deion Sanders is great but if the way in which they used social media raised concerns that this would not be a low-key squad contestant humble contestant entering a squad that could have influenced someone Still Steinberg believes Sanders is still equipped to have a effective NFL career and believes he can contend for the team's starting quarterback position as soon as his rookie year Follow Fox News Digital s sports coverage on X and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter