newYou can listen to Fox's news articles!
Sheduer Sanders' unexpected first round pick to fifth selection was the most polarised topic since last week's NFL draft.
Longtime ESPN draft analyst Mel Kipper Jr. was one of Sanders' solid advocates.
Not long after Sanders' name was removed from the board, Kuiper unleashed the NFL franchise, leading to a clash between him and his colleague Ledge Davis.
For sports coverage on foxnews.com, click here
The host of ESPN “College Gameday” received Davis during the Rose Bowl between the Nittany Lions in Pennsylvania and the Utah Utes in Pasadena, California on January 2, 2023. (Ric Tapia/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Kiper said the NFL had been valuing quarterbacks for 50 years. Kuiper seemed even more confused due to his belief that Sanders was “one of the toughest quarterbacks you've ever seen.”
NFL analyst Louis Riddick explained to Kipper that it wasn't a question about whether Sanders could play quarterback, or whether the team wanted him from a team's perspective. Davis agreed with Riddick, adding that “the draft spoke.”
On-air spat raised questions about whether there was some degree of hostility between Davis and Kiper. However, when he recently appeared on Outkick's “Don't @Me With Dan Dakich”, the host of ESPN's “College Gameday” revealed that he has no issues with his colleagues.
Chedur Sanders reveals his bold goals as a member of the Browns
Davis admitted that the job where Kuiper is entrusted with as a draft analyst has been approved.
ESPN Analyst Mel Kiper Jr. During the 2011 NFL Draft at Radio City Music Hall in New York City, April 28, 2011. (Howard Smith/USA Today Sports)
“First of all, I'm not doing what Pete Tammel is blaming me. So I'll say two things about someone and give you a critique or something,” Davis told Dakic. “But the reason it was there… whatever (the fans) had in Detroit the previous year, mostly because Mel did it for the draft.
“And Mel's job is to create a ranking of his players and protect them. And I didn't mind that he would oppose him, and he wouldn't mind what he wanted to say when we were there. But as a group, I thought the part we had overlooked was the old Occam's razor philosophy – the most likely explanation of something is correct.”
The screen shows Colorado quarterback Shedure Sanders after being selected for the Cleveland Browns on the 144th overall pick on the third day of the NFL Draft in Green Bay, Wisconsin, on April 26, 2025. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)
Davis then pointed to the widely scrutinized treatment of Sanders' pre-draft process, claiming that he could have played a role in the quarterback fall.
“But at that point in the draft, something was almost certain that something had happened in the pre-draft process involving Chedur Sanders, who had kept the team away from bringing him,” Davis added. “I think it's a reasonable argument now if he says he's not the top five quarterback on tape at this point.
“I don't know if it's reasonable that he's not the first type or second round type guy. That seems a bit irrational to me. So if you were beyond that, you probably think something has happened.
Click here to get the Fox News app
Davis said his relationship with Kiper is in a good place and he enjoys working with him.
“It's okay. I didn't know there was a problem until I started getting the text like you were saying,” he said. “It's kind of what we do, it's a parcel. Sometimes, for the good of the analysts themselves and for the good of the show, you challenge their position. Mel is great. I love working with Mel.
Shortly after the Browns chose Sanders on the final day of the draft, he went to social media to share a short but emotional message: “Thank you God.”
Sanders finished the 2024 season with 4,134 yards in Colorado. He will be in the busy quarterback room in Cleveland, along with Desshaun Watson, Joe Fraco, Kenny Pickett and Dillon Gabriel.
Ryan Gaydos of Fox News contributed to this report.
Follow Fox News Digital's Sports Coverage on X and subscribe to Fox News Sports Huddle Newsletter.
