The epic and unprecedented slide of Shedeur Sanders was the top story of the NFL Draft this past weekend.

As he moves forward, however, the former Colorado quarterback is focusing more on his job as a fifth-round pick of the Cleveland Browns and not so much on how he fell so far down the draft board.

“I’m extremely grateful for the opportunity throughout everything,” Sanders said Saturday in a conference call with Browns media. “I don’t ever focus on the negative or even think about the negative, because the positive happened so fast.

“For me, it was just playing quarterback. That’s what it’s about.”

Throughout coverage of the draft, the focus was on the negative, as Sanders went from being projected as a top-five pick on Thursday night to slipping all the way to pick No. 144 in the fifth round on Saturday.

Despite being a second-team All-American, setting more than 100 records at CU and elevating the Buffaloes from 1-11 before he got there to 9-4 last year, Sanders was a polarizing prospect.

There were reports that some of his interviews with teams went poorly. Another report said he was unprepared for a workout with the New York Giants. Others called him “brash” and “entitled” as the son of Pro Football Hall of Famer Deion Sanders, the CU head coach who is well-known as being brash himself.

Some speculated that teams didn’t want to deal with the “circus” that might come with Sanders, his father and cameras constantly around him.

When asked about all the pre-draft talk and anonymous sources, however, Sanders focused on the Browns.

“I think what happened was I had a great interview and great process with the Browns, and that’s why they was able to pick me,” he said. “Anything outside the organization is really a non-factor to me now, because this is my focus, and this is where my mind is, doing everything I can to make the team better.”

The draft process included Sanders getting a prank call on Friday night from someone pretending to be from the New Orleans Saints and telling Sanders they were about to take him early in the second round.

On Sunday, 21-year-old Jax Ulbrich, a college student who is the son of Atlanta Falcons defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich, admitted to being behind the prank.

The Falcons issued a statement that Jax saw Sanders’ number on his father’s iPad and wrote it down. The Falcons apologized to Sanders and his family. Jax also apologized on social media, saying what he did was “completely inexcusable, embarrassing and shameful.” His statement also said he called Sanders and apologized on Sunday.

In talking with Browns media, Sanders said the prank call was “childish” but added, “It didn’t really have an impact on me.”

Instead, Sanders brushed all the negativity aside and maintained his gratitude for the opportunity and the excitement he has for getting to work. The interview was true to how he carried himself throughout his two seasons in Boulder.

Sanders compared the draft weekend to a football game when the early quarters don’t go well.

“But when it’s down to the final two minutes of the game, then you understand the level of seriousness raises the stakes,” he said. “That’s why I thrive in those high pressure moments. … I understood, OK, this is the route, and that’s it.”

Sanders said he believes he will “fit in perfectly” with the Browns, who went 3-14 last year.

“I feel like it’s first getting in, showing respect to the vets, showing them I’m here ready to work,” he said. “Show the coaches and have them understand I’m here ready to work so they can actually understand the real me.”

Sanders said he doesn’t have extra motivation because of his draft slide, but he is motivated to prove himself to Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski and general manager Andrew Berry.

“Understanding that I was able to get an opportunity when a lot of people didn’t want to give me an opportunity,” he said. “That’s what I’m truly thankful for. That’s what fuels me.

“Get there and handle my business. Do what I have to do, whatever role that is. I’m just thankful for an opportunity. That’s all I can ask for. The rest is on me.”

Sanders will compete in a crowded, but fairly wide-open quarterback room that includes 40-year-old Joe Flacco, entering his 18th season; Kenny Pickett, a 2022 first-round pick of the Pittsburgh Steelers who is on his third team as he goes into his fourth NFL season; and former Oregon star Dillon Gabriel, who was selected in the third round on Friday.

“I know I gotta clean up some things in my game for me to be at my best, but that’s why I take each off season one at a time and fix it,” he said. “I think (the negative narratives) was just outside of football getting in the way, but therefore I have an opportunity now, and we’re about to get on grass really soon.”

Notable

On Sunday, former CU offensive lineman Justin Mayers, who went undrafted, accepted a rookie mini-camp invite with the Denver Broncos.