Shedeur Sanders Reacts To Donald Trump Blasting 'NFL Owners' Over His Draft Fall: 'Truly Thankful'

Shedeur Sanders has responded to Donald Trump after the president defended him when he fell in the NFL draft late last month.

The footballer was expected to be among the top three picks but wasn't taken until the fifth round of the draft, spurring Trump to slam NFL teams for passing on him.

Besides Donald Trump, Shedeur Sanders also received support from NFL legend Tom Brady, who once had a similar experience with him.

Sanders expressed his gratitude to Trump after the president took to his Truth Social media platform to call out NFL teams for passing on the young star during the NFL draft last month.

The former Colorado quarterback and son of NFL legend Deion Sanders was surprisingly not picked for the first few rounds until the fifth round when the Cleveland Browns traded up to take him 144th overall.

The move left Trump infuriated and, in his usual style, slammed the team owners while heaping praise on Sanders's dad, Deion.

"What is wrong with NFL owners, are they STUPID?" Trump wrote on April 25. "Deion Sanders was a great college football player, and was even greater in the NFL. He's also a very good coach, streetwise and smart!"

He continued, "Therefore, Shedeur, his quarterback son, has PHENOMENAL GENES, and is all set for Greatness. He should be 'picked' IMMEDIATELY by a team that wants to WIN. Good luck, Shedeur, and say hello to your wonderful father!"

Sanders made sure to express his gratitude to Trump during a meeting with reporters at rookie minicamp practice with the Browns on Saturday.

"I was truly thankful for it," he said, per the New York Post. "Including him, there were a lot of fans, a lot of people in barbershops, a lot of hairstylists."

Sanders continued, "A lot of fans of me, my craft, and my family were there in support. I was thankful that I had that foundation."

Like Trump, Sanders' fall didn't register well with many fans, who also called out NFL teams for the footballer's late draft.

Sanders has now been drawn into an online controversy as fans slammed the New Orleans Saints for not drafting him following the retirement announcement of veteran starting quarterback Derek Carr.

Carr suffered a labral tear in his right shoulder and "significant degenerative changes" to his rotator cuff, per NBC News. However, fans took to the NFL's official X account to note that Sanders should have been given a chance.

"Now not drafting Shedeur looks real dumb," a fan wrote, while another said, "It's about time. Too bad they passed on Shedeur for Shough lol."

Another person penned, "Everybody retiring but Aaron Rodgers lol.. Now I have to agree with a lot of people here and say it might be a huge mistake for them to pass up on dragging Shedeur Sanders. This is gonna be interesting to see how it plays out though."

Meanwhile, Sanders also opened up about his connection with Tom Brady, saying he was grateful to the NFL legend for sticking his neck out for him.

According to USA Today, the 7-time Super Bowl champion texted Sanders after the draft, in an attempt to seemingly support him.

"That was it, that my story's going to be similar," Sanders said. "I was a late-round draft pick, but we're here now, so none of that stuff matters."

He added, "That just mattered on the day, and I'm just excited to be here, ready to work."

Brady revealed he had no problem texting Sanders about being drafted late, noting he used his experience to motivate the young player.

"I was [drafted] No. 199 overall," he said. "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 and go take advantage of it."

Brady then brought up numerous examples of former NFL hopefuls who were picked late but went on to perform well.

"I  was around some of the best players who were undrafted free agents," Brady said. "There was 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."