Shedeur Sanders—Deion’s son, Colorado’s golden boy, and owner of a 74% completion rate (4,134 yards, 37 TDs in 2024)—is the draft’s Rorschach test. Scouts see “system QB” stats padded by short throws. Fans see Prime Time swagger in cleats. An ESPN analyst? He’s stuck in the film room, muttering, “75% of his snaps don’t matter,” citing Colorado’s Swiss-cheese O-line and dink-and-dunk playbook. But here’s the kicker: Shedeur’s pre-snap vision reminds him of Tua Tagovailoa. High praise… with a large side of ‘but’.

“We can’t praise Baker Mayfield for his cockiness and self-belief, then view it differently with Shedeur,” declared Dan Orlovsky this week, tossing a Molotov cocktail of hot takes into the NFL Draft discourse. Cue the internet exploding faster than a blitz on a rookie QB. But here’s the twist: this isn’t just about two polarizing passers. It’s a Friday Night Lights-level drama where legacy, privilege, and arm talent collide like linebackers in the hole.

Enter the haters. “Shedeur’s a pampered princess,” @mitchearp1991 snarked, while @tonyparlay roasted, “Baker won the Heisman. Earned respect.” Ouch. Meanwhile, Shedeur’s rocking a $6.5M NIL valuation (thanks, Nike) and prepping for draft night like it’s Ocean’s 14. But let’s keep it a buck: Baker’s 2024 stats (4,500 yards, 41 TDs, Buccaneers records) didn’t stop his own doubters. Remember his 0-16 Lions stint? Exactly.

Yet Orlovsky’s right about one thing: the NFL’s hypocrisy buffet. We fetishize underdogs… unless they’re Deion’s kid. ‘Attitude reflects leadership, Captain,’ Remember the Titans’ Coach Boone preached. Shedeur’s attitude? Unapologetic confidence. Baker’s? Grit forged in Cleveland’s dumpster fires. Both valid. Both messy.

Now flip the tape. Baker Mayfield—Heisman winner, Browns savior, Tampa’s $100M man—is the comeback king. But Orlovsky comparing him to Shedeur? Fans lost it faster than a fumbled snap. “Baker beat Bama! Shedeur beat… Baylor?” @yjonesps clowned. Others, like @majorshibley, dragged the “BS take,” arguing Baker’s cannon arm vs. Shedeur’s “promised drama” ain’t the same.

But let’s get poetic: Baker’s journey is flawed, chaotic, and weirdly inspiring. From planting Oklahoma’s flag in Ohio State turf to evading Nick Bosa like Dwight Schrute dodging responsibility, he’s the anti-hero we can’t quit. Shedeur? He’s Euphoria’s Nate—polished, polarizing, dripping with generational shine.

Yet here’s Orlovsky, the former Lions QB (3-23 in career starts, oof), playing mediator. “He’s the hardest eval since I got into TV,” he sighed, straddling the hot take tightrope. Cue the chorus: “Dan was a career backup!” @mitchearp1991 barked. Fair. But maybe that’s why he gets it—seeing ghosts in the pocket and the press box.

So where’s the truth? Somewhere between Boulder’s hype and Tampa’s heroics. Shedeur’s got 510-yard games and a famous last name. Baker’s got a Heisman and receipts from the abyss. The draft? It’s April’s roulette wheel. But as Friday Night Lights’ Coach Taylor said: “Every man at some point’s gonna lose a grip in the mud. It’s what you do after that defines you.” Mic drop. Let the Combine warriors feast.

Sanders-Mayfield fan reaction blitz: The comment section’s QB battle

If Orlovsky’s take lit the match, the fans brought the flamethrowers. Social media didn’t just react—it detonated. And the backlash wasn’t all blind rage; some points carried real weight. @tonyparlay led the charge with a biting dose of realism: “Shedeur’s coming from way more privilege than Baker ever did. Baker won the Heisman. Earned respect. Haven’t seen anything from Shedeur that would garner that.”

Hard to argue with facts. Baker’s resume is Heisman-polished and CFP-tested, while Shedeur’s biggest scalp in 2024 was… Arizona State. The privilege gap is real—Baker was a walk-on twice, while Shedeur walked in with G-Wagon and Beats by Dre deals. Both faced pressure, but from wildly different zip codes. Then came @paulmcc1974, dropping a mic on the comparison itself: “Yeah we can. One won the Heisman and has played multiple seasons in the NFL. The other is a draft prospect that played for Colorado and went 9-4.”

True. Mayfield has an NFL track record, from playoff wins in Cleveland (yes, Cleveland) to a career renaissance in Tampa Bay. Meanwhile, Shedeur’s 2024 Buffaloes started hot but faded, finishing 9-4 without a single win against a ranked team. @mitchearp1991 didn’t hold back, attacking both quarterbacks and Orlovsky himself: “Baker is a comeback story. Shedeur is a pampered princess that was given everything. Baker had to fight, scrap and earn. Dan was a career backup and needs to be a backup sports reporter.”

Shedeur’s aura of entitlement is a recurring knock—luxury watches on the sideline, flashy cars, and his father’s Prime Time persona front and center. It’s marketable, yes—but it feeds the narrative that he hasn’t “earned it.” And as for Orlovsky? Again, with a 3-23 record as an NFL starter, fans question whether he’s qualified to judge QB ceilings.

@majorshibley dove deeper into the nuance, comparing scouting critiques: “Didn’t Baker have an elite arm but the knock was his poor decisions (remember the campus arrest video)? Isn’t the knock on Shedeur that he doesn’t have an elite arm and that he and his father have promised to be a problem if they don’t like the team? This feels like a BS take to me.” He’s not wrong. Baker’s arm talent was never questioned—it was the off-field issues that drew red flags. Shedeur’s different. The arm? Good, but not elite. And rumors swirl that he’ll steer clear of certain NFL franchises if he doesn’t like the fit. That’s power… or privilege. Maybe both.

Finally, @yjonesps brought the hammer home: “Baker was actually good. He won big games, bowl games, made the CFP, beat ranked teams, won a Heisman, etc. Sanders did nothing. Didn’t beat a single good team his entire life.” Harsh, but again—stat-backed. Baker’s 2017 Oklahoma squad beat Ohio State in Columbus, clinched a CFP spot, and nearly knocked off Georgia in a Rose Bowl classic. Shedeur’s highlight? A 510-yard game in a shootout with four touchdowns as he led Colorado to a 45-42 victory over TCU on September 2, 2023.

The fanbase isn’t against Shedeur’s talent—they’re against the crown being handed out before the coronation. And in the age of NIL empires and Twitter (X?) takes, that crown feels heavier than ever. But the draft doesn’t care about narratives—it cares about next. And Shedeur? He’s still got time to flip the script. Let the 40-yard dashes—and the debates—rage on.