They can be underhanded, brutal and merciless. Among those regularly ripping Sanders, the Colorado quarterback and son of Deion Sanders, one man stands apart.
It’s Daniel Kelly, 51, a former pro scout for the New York Jets. Last week, he said he was laying low with his criticism of Sanders. But that day he extended his streak of posting negative tweets about the quarterback to 14 days in a row.
In some ways, the overall criticism of Sanders has been fair. But in other ways, it’s traversed into the extreme.
Kelly represents the latter. He exemplifies the challenges polarizing players like Sanders encounter on social media from individuals who consider themselves draft experts − but may not have the extensive experience and accountability of high-profile experts like the NFL Network’s Daniel Jeremiah or ESPN’s Louis Riddick.
‘It’s never hating,’ Kelly told USA TODAY Sports. ‘It’s evaluating.’
With Sanders expected to be picked in the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft, Kelly has bestowed on him a ‘100% bust rate.’ He also has labeled Sanders as ‘an immature, passive aggressive hothead’ and ‘NFL practice squad talent with a Hall of Fame name.’ Of Sanders’ character, the former scout wrote ‘he has a suitcase full of red flags.’
In more analytical fashion, Kelly writes Sanders has ‘decent arm strength,’ ‘good behind-the-line-of-scrimmage mobility’ and resets in the pocket. But that he takes too long to throw the ball, presents a medical risk because of a fractured back in 2023 and is prone to fumbling.
The result: Kelly has raised his profile, relished articles being written about his opinions of Sanders and ticked off some notable people.
On March 3, Deion Sanders Jr. wrote on X, ‘Bro just calm yo (expletive) down….’ On April 3, Mel Kiper Jr. tersely dissected one of Kelly’s tweets during ESPN’s ‘First Draft.’ And every day, Kelly said, he gets bombarded with unpleasant messages, including death threats, on his X account, @firstroundmock.
‘My wife can’t believe some of the stuff I’ve showed her,’ Kelly said.
The improbable path
Kelly’s path to the NFL is about as improbable as a sixth-round draft pick becoming the greatest quarterback of all time.
At 17, according to Kelly, he started writing and sending scouting reports to Charley Casserly, then general manager of the NFL’s team in Washington. ‘I remember the name,’ Casserly told USA TODAY Sports.
At 21, according to Kelly, he did an unpaid internship with Tony Dungy, then defensive coordinator with the Minnesota Vikings. Dungy did not respond to voicemails and text messages from USA TODAY Sports.
At 24, Kelly said, he published an NFL Draft guide and sent copies to every team in the league. The Jets apparently were impressed enough to hire Kelly, who said he was working as a loan officer at the time.
‘I was sitting in the best chair in the National Football League at 24 years old,’ he said.
A 1998 media guide for the Jets lists Kelly as a member of the support staff and working pro personnel. He said he worked with the team until 2002. As evidence, Kelly has shared online photos of a Jets ID badge and a Jets business card identifying him as a Pro Scout.
Lionel Vital, who was a scout with the Jets in 1998 and 1999 and went on to become director of college scouting for the Dallas Cowboys, confirmed Kelly’s time with the Jets.
‘He’d walk in there and he had his opinion, and he’d just stick to it,’ said Vital, who co-hosted a podcast with Kelly last season. ‘He just wouldn’t give up on what he thought, and I know he’s going to tell everybody.’
It was a turbulent four years.
The first month on the job, according to Kelly, he was diagnosed with testicular cancer. In early 2001, his daughter Bailey Hope, then 15 months old, was diagnosed with stage 4 neuroblastoma cancer, Kelly said.
‘It made my cancer look like a walk in the park,’ he said.
He shared a memorial card of his daughter. She died Dec. 25, 2001.
Kelly said he got fired by the Jets about two months later.
‘I believe I had the talent to do this,’ Kelly said, ‘but I was too immature.’
Predictions gone wrong
Jason Brown, a football coach who starred in Netflix’s ‘Last Chance U,’ said of Shedeur Sanders, ‘Let’s be honest, if he’s not Prime’s son, he’s not even a (expletive) third-rounder.’
Dan Sileo, a retired defensive tackle who played one year in the NFL, wrote on X, ‘QB Shedeur Sanders will be an @nfl bust!’
In other words, Kelly isn’t the only one openly blasting Sanders. But it’s come at a price.
Critics have skewered Kelly for some of his past predictions, such as:
‘Tim Tebow…is a future Hall of Fame caliber quarterback.‘
‘Bryce Young has the best potential I’ve ever seen to quickly turnaround a struggling team.‘
‘Spencer Rattler is the next Patrick Mahomes.‘
What Kelly would prefer to highlight:
‘Any GM who is considering (Trey Lance) or takes him in the first round should be fired on the spot.’
‘It would be foolish to take (Zach Wilson) in the first round. He will get everybody fired.‘
‘(C.J.) Stroud is a franchise quarterback.‘
Dreaming again
Bill Polian, the retired general manager of the Indianapolis Colts, said he doesn’t know of Kelly or begrudge draft analysts like him. But he says they’re ill-equipped.
‘If someone’s a retired scout, then he has about 45% of the information,’ Polian said, noting that psychological testing and medical evaluations are among information available only to NFL personnel. ‘I just know that they don’t have all the information that I, as a general manager, needed in order to make a judgment.’
Added Polian: ‘Some guy in his grandmother’s basement doesn’t know how to look at film.’
For the record, Kelly said he lives in a townhouse in Key West, Florida, with his wife, Samantha.
‘First two years I was out of football, I didn’t even watch the game,’ he said. ‘I couldn’t, it was too painful…
‘I’m 28 years old. I’m on the backside of my dream.’
But he’s dreaming again, about reclaiming his NFL dream. Says he’s working 17 to 20 hours a day, six to seven days a week while building his business, First Round Mock, and its website he launched in 2022.
‘He grinds,’ said Vital, the former NFL scout.
There’s little time to waste at 51, hoping to get back to the NFL while pumping out scouting reports, more analysis and tweets, many of them pointed and directed at Sanders.
‘Please get help,’ one X user wrote to Kelly, ‘you are clearly hurting about something.’