Did Deion Sanders’s overbearing presence cause Shedeur Sanders to free-fall in the 2025 NFL draft?
Once a perceived lock to be a top-ten pick in this relatively weak class, Shedeur had one of the most dramatic slides in sports history, tumbling to the fifth round.
The prevailing narrative since is that Shedeur’s tape was lackluster in certain areas, and paired with egotistical performances in interviews, he wasn’t worth the headache.
Deion, in particular, has taken umbrage with the latter of those claims, and now Stephen A. Smith is chiming in on the blazing topic.
On a recent edition of “First Take,” Stephen A. went out of his way to vehemently defend the character of both Sanders.
“Have you run across anybody who said, ‘Deion Sanders said one thing to your face and said something else behind your back?’ That’s not who that man is. So when he comes out and says something about his son, there is no question he spoke to his son. There is no question that Deion Sanders prepped his son for those interviews. Five quarterbacks were taken before Shedeur—we all know this is about Deion,” Smith said.
Stephen A. is entitled to his opinions, but this idea that NFL teams tried to stick it to 57-year-old Deion is ludicrous.
Prospects with rap sheets and far more questionable character concerns have been first-round picks because of their natural talents.
Why is it so hard to believe that Shedeur, who lacks elite arm talent, struggles at processing defenses and has questionable pocket management, coupled with a superiority complex, turned off potential suitors?
Franchises would not intentionally pass on a player they think can help them win football games that many times to prove some imaginary point.
This endless conspiracy theory is detrimental to the real journalistic coverage of the league.
Shedeur has a chance to prove his worth in a wide-open quarterback battle in Cleveland, so if he is as gifted as some suggest, he can earn it on the field.