Decisions from high-profile school QBs create a cautionary story

It has been a nasty few weeks for high-profile quarterbacks.

First, there used to be the entire Nico Iamaleava drama which ended up with the previous five-star leaving Tennessee, shifting to UCLA and taking an NIL pay minimize.

Days later, his brother, Madden, leaving Arkansas after being there for simply months and becoming a member of Nico with the Bruins. According to studies, the Razorbacks’ collective, Arkansas Edge, is operating with outstanding legal professional Tom Mars to claw again masses of 1000’s of NIL greenbacks even though it’s unclear if the buyout provision is enforceable.

If that entire saga used to be no longer sufficient, we then transfer to Quinn Ewers, who used to be principally pressured out of being Texas’ beginning quarterback to provide Arch Manning the degree in Austin, in spite of taking the Longhorns to two-straight College Football Playoff semifinals.

Instead of shifting, and profiting from every other large NIL deal in school, Ewers opted for the NFL Draft however slid all of the approach to the 7th around, the ultimate quarterback taken and No. 231 general.

If no longer for all of the Shedeur Sanders hullabaloo over draft weekend, Ewers’ improbable slide would had been one of the most largest storylines.

The No. 1 participant within the 2021 magnificence, Ewers used to be given a third-round grade by means of The Athletic forward of the draft, situated to head someplace after Jalen Milroe however solidly within the previous rounds.

Instead, he used to be the 13th quarterback taken in a susceptible draft on the place, proper in the back of Indiana’s Kurtis Rourke, who’s greater than two years older than Ewers and performed 5 seasons at Ohio earlier than shifting to play for the Hoosiers and main them to the College Football Playoff.

North Dakota State’s Cam Miller and Montana State’s Tommy Mellott have been decided on earlier than Ewers as smartly.

But the Sanders’ drama takes the cake as probably the most traditionally improbable moments in NFL Draft historical past – and a finding out lesson for long run quarterbacks to do the other of what Sanders and his circle of relatives did main as much as the development.

Deion Sanders famously went on a podcast and predicted that his son and Travis Hunter would move within the most sensible 4 of the draft. That wasn’t a difficult name on Hunter, the No. 1 participant within the 2022 recruiting magnificence and the most efficient participant in school soccer ultimate yr, however felt like a stretch to expect Sanders that top.

The Colorado trainer additionally stated right through the similar interview that he is aware of the place he desires them to head and “there are certain cities that ain’t going to happen.” Talk about overplaying your hand.

Sanders torpedoed his alternatives in different ways, too. He made up our minds to not throw on the NFL Combine and the interview procedure used to be a complete crisis.

There is the file that Sanders and New York Giants trainer Brian Daboll had a horrible personal discuss with as Daboll installed an set up package deal, Sanders wasn’t in a position for it and were given referred to as out, didn’t like that after which Daboll didn’t like that Sanders didn’t find it irresistible. The Giants handed on Sanders and took Ole Miss QB Jaxson Dart overdue within the first around.

There is a file by means of CBS Sports that Sanders used to be deliberately “sandbagging” pre-draft interviews with groups he didn’t wish to play for. Another tale that positive homeowners advised their executives to take Sanders off their forums as a result of they didn’t need him.

In a social media international and NIL panorama the place there’s a finer line than ever between being assured and obnoxious, Sanders looked as if it would step over it vociferously. The Legendary monikers all over, appearing off dear watches pre-game, perpetually speaking trash and now all of the tales of botched interviews.

An nameless NFL assistant advised NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero main as much as the draft: “The worst formal interview I’ve ever been in in my existence. He’s so entitled. He takes useless sacks. He by no means performs on time. He has terrible frame language. He blames teammates. … But the largest factor is, he is not that excellent.”

That might be cowardly to not put your name on a quote like that but after the draft, its prescience is striking.

If there is a positive coming out of all these stories – Iamaleava, Ewers, Sanders – over the last couple weeks, it can be a learning lesson for the next future stars, especially for the quarterbacks, the most magnified position in all of sports.

These are three quarterbacks whose situations are quite different, but all three made decisions to create unnecessary, possibly life-changing headaches for themselves.

Let’s hope the next wave of quarterbacks are taking notes of this.