Shadeur Sanders entered the NFL Draft expecting a first-round call. What followed instead was a humbling journey filled with questions, criticism, and clarity. This article unpacks the lessons behind his fall to pick 144—and why this might be the defining opportunity of his football career.

Joe Burrow took the Bengals to the Super Bowl in just his second year—but since then, Cincinnati has squandered his prime. With poor protection, defensive regression, and questionable front office decisions, the Bengals risk turning a golden era into a missed opportunity.