Aaron Rodgers draws unexpected comparison between himself and struggling rookie after dramatic draft slide

Aaron Rodgers had kind words for Cleveland Browns rookie quarterback Shedeur Sanders before their Week 17 game. The Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback said he has been watching Sanders’ career for a long time, even before they became division rivals.

According to Gridiron Heroics, the four-time NFL MVP said he followed Sanders from his time at Jackson State to his move to Colorado. Rodgers has been impressed with how Sanders has dealt with tough times in his first NFL season.

“I follow Shedeur [Sanders], his career. I mean, any football fan watched him go from Jackson [State] to Boulder, and that being kind of a former Pac-12 school, obviously was pulling for him,” Rodgers told reporters.

Rodgers sees himself in Sanders’ difficult draft experience

Sanders had one of the biggest draft drops in recent years. He fell all the way to the fifth round at pick number 144, even though many people thought he would go in the first round. The wait was especially hard because Sanders had a strong college career and is the son of NFL legend Deion Sanders.

Rodgers also had a disappointing draft night back in 2005 when he dropped to pick number 24. He said Sanders’ wait was much worse than his own. “There’s a tough draft slide, obviously, much longer wait than mine was. It seems like he’s been patient and worked on his craft, and he’s been playing pretty good the last few weeks,” Rodgers said.

Sanders became Cleveland’s starting quarterback in Week 12 after other quarterbacks got injured. In his five starts, he has a 1-4 record. He has thrown for 1,103 yards with six touchdowns and eight interceptions while completing 55.1 percent of his passes.

Rodgers pointed out that Sanders has shown growth and patience despite playing behind one of the worst offensive lines in the league with limited help at receiver. While some NFL veterans faced criticism for holiday posts, Sanders has kept his focus on improving his game.

Sunday’s game is special because Rodgers will face both Deion Sanders and his son. When Rodgers joined the NFL 20 years ago, Deion was still playing. Rodgers knows what it takes to bounce back from draft disappointment.

After his own draft slide, he spent three years as Brett Favre’s backup in Green Bay before becoming a star. For Sanders, getting praise from a future Hall of Famer shows he is on the right path. Even as investigations into missing persons continue to make headlines in sports, Sanders remains focused on his development, even though Cleveland has not won many games.