Tom Brady had a message for Shedeur Sanders when the Cleveland Browns quarterback slid from an expected first-round NFL draft pick to having to wait until Day 3 to be selected: Use it as motivation for what’s to come next.
“I actually texted Shedeur because I know him very well,” Brady said in a appearance on the “IMPAULIVE” podcast, hosted by Logan Paul. “And I said, ‘Dude, like whatever happens, wherever you go, that’s your first day. Day 2 matters more than the draft.’ I was 199. So, who can speak on it better than me? Like what that really means. Use it as motivation, you’re going to get your chances, go take advantage of it.”
Brady, who has been a mentor to Sanders, was the seventh quarterback selected in the 2000 draft. The New England Patriots selected him in the sixth round, and the future Hall of Famer went on to win seven Super Bowls and be named the NFL’s MVP three times.
“Wherever you end up going … it’s about your performance. What do you do when you get there? Because you’re going to get there,” Brady said on the podcast. “I was around some of the best players who were undrafted free agents. They were Rodney Harrison. Rodney Harrison wasn’t a high pick. Julian Edelman wasn’t a high pick. Wes Welker wasn’t a high pick. Danny Amendola. All those guys were phenomenal players.
“So what’s it matter than some overhyped day where a lot of people are selling stories and saying, ‘All right this is the big day and this is the draft and it’s an important day and it’s fun and I love you know watching it and seeing it but I’ve also been there on Day 2 when they have to show up and actually learn a playbook, be a part of a locker room. There’s a lot of growth that has to happen.”
There was some thought the Las Vegas Raiders might select Sanders because of his relationship with Brady, who is a part-owner of the franchise. The Raiders picked two quarterbacks: Montana State’s Tommy Mellott and North Dakota State’s Cam Miller. Mellott, however, will be converted into a wide receiver and kick returner.
Brady said on the podcast, “I wasn’t a part of any evaluation process” of Sanders, who was selected by the Browns in the fifth round.
Sanders, in perhaps a nod to Brady, will wear No. 12 — Brady’s number during his playing career — to start his NFL career with the Browns. Sanders wore No. 2 in high school and college, but that number was selected by veteran wide receiver and return specialist DeAndre Carter, who was signed by the Browns earlier in the offseason.
Sanders is one of five quarterbacks on the Browns’ roster, along with fellow rookie Dillon Gabriel (selected in the third round) and veterans Joe Flacco, Kenny Pickett and Deshaun Watson. Watson, rehabbing from two Achilles tears, is expected to miss most of the season, however.
