Even the most casual sports fan has likely heard the recent headlines about Shedeur Sanders. For much of the 2024 football season, the Colorado quarterback was considered a top NFL prospect. As the 2025 NFL Draft approached, rumors circulated that Sanders might slide out of the top ten picks, but no one expected him to slide all the way to No. 144.
The website Grinding the Mocks analyzed more than 2,400 mock drafts. The consensus slot for Sanders was 20.7鈥�essentially, the 21st overall pick. Coincidentally, the Pittsburgh Steelers held that pick and needed a quarterback.
Everything lined up. Until it didn鈥檛.
Here鈥檚 a key takeaway鈥攁nd it has nothing to do with Sanders, and everything to do with the person hyping him.
Lose the ego. Update your forecast.
Mel Kiper Jr., the OG Draft analyst, has been evaluating prospects since 1984. He had Sanders ranked as his No. 5 overall prospect鈥攁 first-round lock. But as each round passed, and each team passed on Sanders multiple times, Kiper refused to update his assessment.
He doubled down. He barked at the camera.
鈥淭he NFL has been clueless for 50 years when it comes to evaluating quarterbacks! Clueless!鈥� he said.
鈥淣o matter your opinion, the draft has spoken,鈥� said ESPN analyst Louis Riddick.
鈥淚 don鈥檛 think yelling at the NFL is the answer,鈥� added Rece Davis.
Kiper wasn鈥檛 supposed to be this wrong. But instead of accepting reality, Kiper shifted the blame: the league, individual teams, general managers鈥攁nyone but himself. Any assessment but his own.
Here鈥檚 how to keep Mel Kiper鈥檚 breakdown from becoming your own. Lose the ego. Look at how YOU lead. Then adjust your sales leadership. Data isn鈥檛 emotional鈥攊t鈥檚 directional. Your sales don鈥檛 measure effort or intent; they reveal what鈥檚 working and what isn鈥檛. The sooner you accept what is, the faster your team can improve.
This Month鈥檚 Tip on the Sport of Selling:
Forecast your August sales鈥攚ith a confidence interval. Coach your sales reps to document the following three numbers for August:
1. Sales goal (dollars)
At the beginning of the year, what was their sales goal for the month of August?
2. Sales prediction (dollars)
Have each sales rep鈥攌nowing what they know right now鈥攋ot down how much they think they鈥檒l sell in August.
3. Confidence interval (percentage)
Have each rep, on a scale of 0-100%, specify how confident they are in their ability to hit their sales prediction. When done, it should look like this for each sales rep:
- Sales goal = $500K
- Sales prediction = $523K
- Confidence = 75%
That鈥檚 it. Then help your sales reps stay focused on their top opportunities. Help them track their time and eliminate as many non-sales activities as possible.
As the calendar turns to September, schedule a 20-minute RPA Meeting with each sales rep. First, focus on Results: Revisit the three numbers the sales rep documented last
month and ask: How accurate was your forecast? What can you learn from this and apply in September? Then move onto Pipeline: Does this month鈥檚 sales pipeline support this month鈥檚 sales goal? Then close with Activities: What critical sales activities must be prioritized this month?
Your sales leadership report card arrives monthly in the form of your team鈥檚 sales numbers. Their performance is a direct reflection of your ability to coach them up and hold them accountable to achieve their sales goals.
Do this鈥攊f for no other reason鈥攖han to avoid sounding like Mel Kiper on draft day.
