Rece Davis clears air after tense on-air clash with fellow ESPN star over Shedeur Sanders' NFL Draft drop

Sheduer Sanders' unexpected driblet from a projected first-round prime to a fifth-round enactment was the astir polarizing taxable from past week's NFL Draft.

Longtime ESPN draught expert Mel Kiper Jr. was among the staunch defenders of Sanders, and the erstwhile Colorado star's autumn to the Cleveland Browns appeared to permission the broadcaster successful a authorities of disbelief. 

Shortly aft Sanders' sanction came disconnected the board, Kiper unleashed connected NFL franchises, which led to a clash betwixt him and workfellow Rece Davis.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM

ESPN "College GameDay" big Rece Davis during the Rose Bowl betwixt the Penn State Nittany Lions and the Utah Utes Jan. 2, 2023, successful Pasadena, Calif. (Ric Tapia/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Kiper said the NFL had been "clueless" for 5 decades evaluating quarterbacks. Kiper appeared further perplexed owed to his content Sanders is "one of the toughest quarterbacks you’ve ever seen."  

NFL expert Louis Riddick past explained to Kiper that the question wasn’t astir whether Sanders could play backmost but, from a squad perspective, whether a squad wanted him. Davis agreed with Riddick, who added, "The draught has spoken."

The on-air spat sparked questions astir whether immoderate level of animosity existed betwixt Davis and Kiper. But during a caller quality connected OutKick's "Don’t @ Me with Dan Dakich," the ESPN "College GameDay" big made it wide helium doesn't person a occupation with his colleague. 

SHEDEUR SANDERS REVEALS BOLD GOAL AS MEMBER OF BROWNS

Davis acknowledged the occupation Kiper is tasked with arsenic a draught analyst.

ESPN expert Mel Kiper Jr. during the 2011 NFL Draft astatine Radio City Music Hall successful New York City April 28, 2011. (Howard Smith/USA Today Sports)

"First of all, and I'm not doing that happening that Pete Thamel accuses maine of, wherever I accidental 2 things bully astir idiosyncratic and past connection a critique oregon something," Davis told Dakich. "But the crushed determination were … immoderate the fig (of fans) was successful Detroit the erstwhile twelvemonth is mostly owed to what Mel's done for the draft. 

"And Mel’s occupation is to marque his rankings of the players and support them. And I didn’t caput him disagreeing, and I don’t caput him saying thing helium wanted to accidental erstwhile we're there. But I thought that, arsenic a group, the portion we were overlooking was the aged Occam's razor doctrine — the astir apt mentation for thing is astir apt correct. We don’t cognize for sure."

A surface shows Colorado backmost Shedeur Sanders aft helium was chosen by the Cleveland Browns with the 144th wide prime during the 3rd time of the NFL Draft April 26, 2025, successful Green Bay, Wis.  (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)

Davis past pointed to Sanders' wide scrutinized handling of the pre-draft process, arguing it could person played a relation successful the quarterback's fall.

"But it was astir definite that, astatine that constituent successful the draft, that thing had happened successful the pre-draft process involving Shedeur Sanders that was keeping teams from taking him," Davis added. "Now, I deliberation it’s a tenable statement if you accidental he's not a apical 5 backmost connected portion astatine this time. 

"I'm not definite that it's tenable that he's not a archetypal oregon second-round benignant guy. That seems a small unreasonable to me. So, if you spell beyond that, past thing other astir apt happened. And my lone constituent was I didn't deliberation we were giving that the due credence."

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

Davis said his narration with Kiper was successful a bully place, and helium enjoys moving with him.

"It’s fine. I didn’t adjacent cognize determination was an contented until I started getting texts similar you were saying," helium said. "It’s benignant of portion and parcel of what we do. Sometimes, for the analyst’s ain bully and for the bully of the show, you situation their position. Mel’s great. I emotion moving with Mel. And he’s the crushed the draught is what it is, successful my opinion."

Shortly aft the Browns selected Sanders connected the last time of the draft, helium took to societal media to stock a abbreviated but affectional message: "Thank you GOD."

Sanders finished the 2024 play astatine Colorado with 4,134 passing yards. He volition articulation a crowded backmost country successful Cleveland with Deshaun Watson, Joe Flacco, Kenny Pickett and Dillon Gabriel.

Fox News' Ryan Gaydos contributed to this report.

Follow Fox News Digital’s sports sum connected X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.