‘Jealousy and hatred’ is the reason why Shedeur Sanders wasn’t drafted earlier, feels Robert Griffin III

Robert Griffin III suggests that NFL teams purposefully passed on Shedeur Sanders in a bid to teach him a lesson.

‘Jealousy and hatred’ is the reason why Shedeur Sanders wasn’t drafted earlier, feels Robert Griffin III

Robert Griffin III reveals the reason for Shedeur Sanders' fall in the NFL Draft. (Images via IMAGO)

The 2025 NFL Draft has been full of surprises. The first round picks were unexpected and went against the predictions made by notable analysts. The biggest surprise, however, was Shedeur Sanders. The Colorado Buffaloes’ star was expected to be a top 10 pick. A few analysts had not ruled out the possibility of him going number one overall, but to everyone’s shock, Sanders ended up going undrafted on day 1.

Shedeur Sanders wound up going undrafted through the first three rounds. He was drafted by the Cleveland Browns, who picked him in the fifth round, and 144st overall. It was a blessed day for the Sanders family as Shilo, the brother of Shedeur, and a cornerback for the Colorado Buffaloes, was drafted by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

There is no straightforward explanation as to why Shedeur Sanders’ stock tanked in the draft. ESPN had predicted a 3% chance of him being available at the end of the first round heading into the draft. However, Sanders fell to round five, a shocking fall considering his stats were similar to Cam Ward.

Fans have cited racism and his father, Deion Sanders’ involvement in the draft process, as the reasons for his drop, however, the real reason seems to be something else. Shedeur Sanders’ confident attitude and bold statements claiming he intends to change the culture of the franchise that drafts him made teams reluctant to choose him early on.

Former NFL quarterback and football analyst Robert Griffin III shared his take on Shedeur Sanders’ draft stock diving.

Shedeur Sanders’s draft day fall isn’t about talent, it’s PERSONAL…(Sanders) should not have dropped out of the first three rounds of the NFL Draft. He dropped out of the first three rounds of the NNFL draft because it’s 100% personal. NFL GMs, scouts, and the NFL at large are trying to teach Deion Sanders and Shedeur Sanders a lesson.

Robert Griffin III said on the Outta Pocket with RGIII podcast

He strongly believes that the quarterback was unfairly punished for showcasing his personality.

As RGIII said, Shedeur is not the first quarterback to come out of college with an outgoing and bold personality, which at times is easy to misconstrue as arrogance. He cited Eli Manning’s example, how the quarterback refused to play in San Diego and forced the team to trade him to the Giants despite being their first overall pick. In that case, no franchise objected to a rookie making demands.

Robert Griffin III believes there is a strong possibility of teams passing over Shedeur Sanders to ‘teach him a lesson’

Subsequently, the likes of Johnny Manziel, Baker Mayfield, and Joe Burrow were all quarterbacks with strong personalities; however, that never impacted their draft stock. Teams went on to draft them, but in the case of Shedeur Sanders, RGIII believes his last name and background have influenced his fall.

Shedeur Sanders (3)
Shedeur Sanders was exposed to a harsh reality in the Draft. (Image via AP)

While his observations are not entirely wrong, it should be noted that Joe Burrow was coming off a National Championship victory, his numbers were better than Shedeur Sanders, and that was all scouts cared about. In the case of Johnny Manziel and Baker Mayfield, both were incredible talents. They were fan-favorites and had Hall of Fame-caliber arm strength. So RGIII’s comparisons must be viewed in the right context.

The real reason for Shedeur Sanders’ drop will never be known. But in no scenario can it be said that Dillon Gabriel, Jaxson Dart, and Tyler Shough, who were all drafted ahead of the Colorado alum, are better than him. Shedeur now finds himself on a franchise that has had no luck in the quarterback department in recent history.

The Browns have Deshaun Watson, Kenny Pickett, Joe Flacco, Dillon Gabriel, and Shedeur Sanders in their quarterback room. It will be interesting to see how well Sanders will fare in the NFL.

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