Former exec gives bold take on Sanders’ ability to handle pressure

The NFL is a pressure cooker and that’s true whether you’re a quarterback or a long snapper.

There is something about being the franchise quarterback of a team that takes that pressure and dials it up to 100, however. You’re the face of the franchise, after all. When things go swimmingly, you get praised. When the team is struggling, you’re the one who gets thrown under the bus.

That’s the environment a young quarterback like Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders would be entering into if he was just a “normal” quarterback. Throw in the fact that he’s likely to be drafted somewhere where he’ll be expected to be the “savior” of the franchise, plus his father is only Deion “Prime Time” Sanders, and the hype and pressure will both be out of this world.

The thing is, because of who his father is, Sanders may be able to handle the hype circus that will come along with his selection. That’s, at least, what former NFL player and executive turned ESPN commentator Louis Riddick thinks.

“Shedeur, in particular, is uniquely equipped to handle the media firestorm that’s going to surround him. A lot of it is going to be directed at him simply because of what his last name is, and how big and larger than life his father is,” Riddick recently said on ESPN’s “Get Up” (h/t On3). “A lot of it is going to trickle down to him, but Deion’s telling you you’re wasting your time because he is uniquely qualified to and he has been schooled to deal with the kind of nonsense that’s going to come his way.”

To Riddick’s point, Shedeur has handled the pressure of being his father’s quarterback at Colorado and not only did he play well for the Buffaloes, but he was one of the best quarterbacks in the country.

He’s been successful every step of the way despite the bright lights that have followed him because of his father’s aura, and we know just like “Coach Prime”, he’s confident as heck.

Still, the NFL is a different beast altogether, so we’ll have to wait and see if Shedeur’s swagger can translate wherever he ends up.