Giants Darius Slayton backs Shedeur Sanders after pro day criticism ahead of 2025 NFL Draft
Darius Slayton is already going to bat for the Giants’ potential first-round pick.The veteran receiver downplayed criticism surrounding Shedeur Sanders patting the football before throwing during the Colorado quarterback’s pro day workout last Friday.Some, including new Jets safety Andre Cisco, raised flags about Sanders’ patting tendency and how that could possibly work adversely against him in the NFL.“I promise he can pat the ball and be just fine if DB’s was so good at breaking on ball pats they’d all have 8+ picks a year,” Slayton posted Saturday to X.“Same guys that fall for a 2 man dagger concept and give up the dig on 3rd&long every season all season long talkin bout a ball pat what a joke.”It seems a virtual lock at this point that Miami’s Cam Ward will be the first quarterback drafted — likely by the Titans with the first overall pick — and Sanders likely will be the second signal caller selected.Sanders, the son of NFL legend Deion Sanders, has been linked to the Browns with the No.2 pick and the Giants with the third selection, but some wonder whether he may slip.Friday marked a chance for Sanders to wow executives and coaches around the league, which included a 14-person Giants contingent that featured coach Brian Daboll and general manager Joe Schoen, among others.Sanders completed 62 of 67 passes during his workout, per The Athletic, but a roughly 1:45-minute video from the Overtime X account showcasing highlights instead led to some critiquing how Sanders pats the ball before delivering a pass.The argument is that Sanders is giving defensive backs extra time to defend a ball by doing so.“Boy better stop patting that ball, we breakin onnat earlyyyy,” Cisco quote tweeted the highlight reel, which has 13.7 million views as of Monday morning.Slayton’s quote tweet came above a different tweet criticizing Sanders that featured the same workout, which an X user labeled “concerning.”When someone asked Slayton about his ...