Ex-Raiders Coach Reveals He Wanted to Draft Shedeur Sanders initially appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
Former Las Vegas Raiders head coach Antonio Pierce didn’t mince phrases about how completely different the franchise’s quarterback future might look at present. As Cleveland Browns rookie Shedeur Sanders ready for his first NFL begin towards the Raiders on Sunday, Pierce revealed he meant to draft Sanders if he had remained in cost.
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During an appearance on CBS Sports, Pierce mentioned Sanders was “one of our top choices” all through the pre-draft course of and insisted he would by no means have allowed the previous Colorado star to fall to the fifth spherical.
“When I was with the Raiders, he was one of our top choices,” Pierce mentioned. “If I would’ve stayed there, there’s no way he goes in the fifth round. I’m making the decision that we’re drafting him. Mark Davis was on board. Our organization was on board. We believed in what we saw with Shedeur.”
Pierce Wanted Sanders, Raiders Went Another Direction
Pierce’s feedback add a brand new wrinkle to one of the crucial polarizing draft slides of 2024, Sanders falling from projected first-rounder to the fifth spherical. Internally, the Raiders have been fractured. After Pierce and GM Tom Telesco have been fired following a 4-13 season and a 10-game dropping streak, the brand new regime of Pete Carroll and John Spytek moved aggressively in a unique route.
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The Raiders traded for veteran Geno Smith and chosen Cam Miller within the sixth spherical, a stark pivot from Pierce’s said plan. Minority proprietor Tom Brady, who has a long-standing private relationship with Sanders, was additionally believed to have influenced the entrance workplace’s determination to go on the rookie.
Reports following Pierce’s exit indicated the group held a third-round grade on Sanders, not a first-round analysis, however nonetheless excessive sufficient to justify deciding on him earlier than Cleveland in the end did.
“The Raiders did not have him valued as a first rounder, but they very much did like him,” Sports Illustrated insider Hondo Carpenter mentioned. “I believe the Raiders would have pulled the trigger on Shedeur probably in the third round.”
Sanders Shows Glimpse of Potential in First Start
Sanders’ first NFL begin got here on the Raiders’ expense and resulted in a 24-10 Browns win. Filling in for injured starter Dillon Gabriel, Sanders accomplished 11 of 20 passes for 209 yards, a landing, and an interception. It wasn’t flawless, but it surely was poised, energetic, and extra steady than what the Raiders have gotten from Smith, who leads the league in interceptions coming into Week 12.
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“I was a fifth-round pick, so I got skipped by everybody at least five times,” Sanders mentioned after the win. “I’m just thankful for where I am now.”
The Raiders, in the meantime, proceed their seek for a solution at quarterback ,a problem that has lingered since Derek Carr was benched late in 2022. Smith is Las Vegas’ eighth completely different starter since that time, and his struggles have solely intensified an issue the franchise has repeatedly failed to remedy.
Pierce Defends Sanders and His Personality
Pierce additionally pushed again on criticisms of Sanders’ character and persona, which many imagine contributed to his draft-day slide.
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“One thing about Shedeur – he’s born for this,” Pierce mentioned. “His pedigree is for moments of this magnitude. You might not like his persona or aura, but Cleveland does. He’s going to bring excitement, energy, and life to an organization that has struggled for so long at quarterback.”
That pedigree, from highschool to Jackson State to Colorado, as soon as made Sanders a projected first-round lock. Now, his path towards proving doubters fallacious begins in Cleveland—whereas the Raiders are as soon as once more getting ready to reset on the place within the offseason.
The franchise will doubtless have a prime draft choose in 2026, positioning them for an opportunity at prospects similar to Indiana’s Fernando Mendoza or Alabama’s Ty Simpson. Pierce believes they missed their shot at one potential reply.
And on Sunday, Shedeur Sanders gave them a firsthand take a look at what he needed to construct.