Stephen A. Smith believes NFL has failed after teams do a Colin Kaepernick on Shedeur Sanders

ESPN analyst Stephen A. Smith has watched NFL owners get back at Deion Sanders by using their power against his son Shedeur Sanders.

Stephen A. Smith believes NFL has failed after teams do a Colin Kaepernick on Shedeur Sanders

Stephen A. Smith believes Shedeur Sanders has been Colin Kaepernick'd (Image via Bleacher Report/X)

Usually, an NFL Draft starts debates on which teams ended up making the best decisions to help improve their future. Of particular interest are the first three rounds, where teams get their hands on impactful players. But neither of them featured Colorado Buffaloes star QB Shedeur Sanders.

His slide down the draft boards has taken the shine out of the 2025 NFL Draft. No one is marveling at what teams have done to improve their rosters. No one is talking about how certain players have made it big, especially those who come from humble beginnings.

This year’s draft has been all about the son of Deion Sanders. The Hall of Famer thought his son would go in either of the top five picks. Some draft experts, who were not completely sold on him, projected him to go later in the first round, but no one heard the name Sanders being called.

Then came the second round, and there was hope. Even that did not happen and Shedeur Sanders is now preparing for day three of the Draft. After all this transpired, ESPN analyst Stephen A. Smith received a text that he then shared on X.

Someone just texted me this message and they are absolutely correct: “This is a bad look for the NFL. This feels like Kaepernick-level collusion.” All the hard work the NFL League Office puts in to eradicate these kinds of perceptions, only to turn around and watch as the OWNERS look like they’re colluding, messing up everything.

Stephen A. Smith wrote

This situation has led many to wonder why NFL execs are intentionally avoiding a player who was good enough to be a franchise quarterback. But Stephen A. Smith’s logic suggests the billionaire owners are trying to make an example out of Shedeur Sanders.

Stephen A. Smith feels NFL owners and execs are a disgrace

After Shedeur Sanders dropped out of the first round, Stephen A. Smith said on First Take that somewhere, his father Deion Sanders was responsible. Teams did not appreciate how he tried to dictate terms, and thus, they are taking it out on his son.

Stephen A. Smith believes NFL owners are giving it back to Deion Sanders
Stephen A. Smith believes NFL owners are giving it back to Deion Sanders (Image via MILLION $ WORTH OF GAME/X)

This is a damn disgrace. How in the hell is Shedeur not off the board, not drafted yet. Y’all still think this doesn’t have anything to do with teams hatin on Deion Sanders. This kid is a first-rounder. In a different way, this is Kaepernick all over again…..being kept out. A damn disgrace. I don’t care what anyone says!

Stephen A. Smith wrote

The ESPN executive producer believes owners have made an example out of Shedeur Sanders. They have proved to everyone who the real power brokers in the league are. He believes that from now onwards, no one will believe NFL talent evaluators are looking for skill.

This entire fiasco has proved to him that owners are there in the league to run their teams their own way. They do not care what others say and will only do what they like. In this situation, they have proved how much power they are wielding.

Shedeur Sanders’ options in the NFL

There were a handful of teams that needed a quarterback. Cam Ward went No. 1 overall, which meant Shedeur Sanders was supposed to go next. Instead, Jaxson Dart‘s name was called before the Colorado QB.

While Sanders waited, teams selected Tyler Shough, Jalen Milroe, and Dillon Gabriel. That means four teams do not need to select a QB prospect anymore. That narrows the options down to a few select teams.

The Las Vegas Raiders might need a QB for the future. They were very interested in Sanders ahead of the draft, where owner Mark Davis has met with the 23-year-old a few times. But they did not select him with any of the five picks they had in the first three rounds.

The Pittsburgh Steelers are another team that is in desperate need of a quarterback. So are the Dallas Cowboys, who can bring Sanders in to fill the QB room, as well as push merchandise sales through the roof. That last bit is something that Jerry Jones likes. But it is not known if that is enough to end this debacle.

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