Stephen A. Smith hints Deion Sanders is to blame for Shedeur Sanders’ sliding down the draft

ESPN's Stephen A. Smith argued that Shedeur Sanders kept sliding down the draft and eventually remained undrafted after day one because NFL teams didn't want to deal with his father, Deion Sanders.

Stephen A. Smith hints Deion Sanders is to blame for Shedeur Sanders’ sliding down the draft

Deion Sanders and Shedeur Sanders (Image via ESPN/FOX)

Stephen A. Smith isn’t ready to accept that Shedeur Sanders is sliding down the draft because of his skill set. He has been around long enough to understand that the name at the back of Shedeur’s football jersey played a big part.

Shedeur is the son of legendary player and NFL Hall of Famer Deion Sanders. He also coached the young quarterback throughout his college career at Jackson State and Colorado.

Coach Prime nurtured his son into one of the most exciting prospects in college football, and he ended his senior year leading the FBS with a 74% pass completion rate. By the turn of the year, Shedeur looked set to become the first overall draft pick.

32 NFL teams passed on him on Day 1 of the 2025 NFL draft four months later. Stephen A. Smith smelled that something wasn’t right about Sanders’ draft stock taking a nose dive while others saw theirs improve. The veteran ESPN journalist believes NFL teams passed on Sanders because of his affiliation.

I believe that the biggest issue in all of this was Primetime Deion Sanders and the thought of having to deal with him… It’s hard for me to sit here today and watch a dude that was once projected to be one of the top 2 picks potentially in the draft to drop completely out of the first round and to ignore all those reports that had come out about him leading into the draft.

Stephen A. Smith said via ESPN’s First Take

A report from an anonymous NFL executive didn’t do Sanders’ draft stock any favors. Smith hinted that NFL teams don’t want to associate themselves with the Sanders family.

If you think that I’m going to sit here and assume that that was strictly an evaluation about his football skills alone that led to him falling out the entire first round without his father having an impact, I don’t buy that.

Stephen A. Smith added

Smith is a supporter of Shedeur Sanders

Each year, fans eagerly wait to find out the number one pick in the draft. However, the bulk of the media focus was on Sanders. He was among the most exciting prospects on the draft list.

Stephen A. Smith hints Deion Sanders is to blame for Shedeur Sanders' sliding down the draft
Shedeur Sanders (Image via IMAGO)

Fans were perplexed when teams started to pass on Sanders, including Smith. He thought it was an appalling situation considering the 23-year-old’s talent.

We know this brother can play. We know [that] he doesn’t have the greatest motor or the greatest arm, [but] the accuracy is there. The poise is there, the pedigree is there. We see all of these things along with his skill set and what he’s been able to do on the collegiate level, and here we are now wondering if this guy is going to be a second-round pick. I find this very appalling and very alarming and very disturbing.

Stephen A. Smith said

Sanders eventually went undrafted on day one, but the disappointment didn’t break his spirits.

We all didn’t expect this, of course, but I feel like with God, anything is possible. I don’t feel like this happened [didn’t get drafted on day 1], you know, for no reason. All this is just more fuel to the fire. Under no circumstances we didn’t notice this would happen but we understand that we’re on a bigger and better things. Tomorrow’s the day. We going to be happy regardless.

Shedeur Sanders said post Day 1 of NFL Draft

Sanders has seen and experienced adversity during his career. He followed his father to a program that was a dumpster fire for nearly a decade. After their arrival, they became one of the most-watched football teams in the nation.

The Sanders name was undoubtedly one of the reasons for fans to stay glued to their TV sets. However, that wasn’t the only reason. Colorado won games, and under Sanders’ tenure, they reached a bowl game for the first time since 2016.

There’s still time for NFL teams to cash in on Shedeur Sanders. The Steelers at 83 could be the relief he is hoping for.

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