Ex-Congressman Claims Shedeur Sanders’ NFL Draft Drop Is About ‘Fearing Strong Black Men’

Shedeur Sanders, the highly-watched quarterback prospect, didn’t hear his name called in the first round of the NFL Draft Thursday night, sparking a tidal wave of social media debates over the possible reasons for his slide.

Former Democratic congressman Jamaal Bowman weighed in on Friday, suggesting that Sanders’ draft fate was about more than just stats or strategy. Bowman argued, in his words, that "America continues to fear strong black men," linking Sanders’ draft night tumble to bigger cultural anxieties. He even drew a comparison to Eli Manning’s infamous draft day drama in 2004, questioning why Manning’s refusal to play for the Chargers was seen as self-advocacy, but Sanders’ confidence is labeled as entitlement.

Bowman didn’t stop there—he pointed out that Sanders, who completed a whopping 77% of his passes despite a struggling offensive line and little running game support, is being judged more for his personality and style than his performance. "The NFL doesn’t like Sanders because he wears gold chains and talks like a rapper," Bowman wrote on X, adding that Sanders’ leadership and toughness are too often overshadowed by surface-level judgments.

The congressman also highlighted that being "not athletic" didn’t stop legends like Joe Montana, Drew Brees, or Tom Brady. For Bowman, the issue is that Sanders represents a new kind of athlete—one who is unapologetically himself and isn’t trying to fit a mold. Bowman predicted that the Cleveland Browns would scoop up Sanders with the first pick of the second round—so, stay tuned, Cleveland fans.

Bowman doubled down in a video, saying, "It’s the way Shedeur dresses. It’s the way he talks, and it’s his culture, in my opinion. You see him at the draft last night. He’s wearing all black. He got the L chain on, and he talks like a rapper."

But here’s a twist: the first overall pick was Cam Ward, another Black quarterback, and 26 of the 32 first-round picks were Black men. That fact alone can make this conversation a little more complicated than just black-and-white—literally and figuratively.

Viewers saw plenty of live shots from inside the Sanders household in Texas as the family watched and waited, clearly ready for any outcome. The family even had a shelf with hats for all 32 NFL teams, just in case. But Thursday night, Shedeur didn’t get to rock any of them.

His brother, Shilo Sanders, was clearly frustrated, repeatedly saying, "Something is going on," as Shedeur’s wait dragged on. The tension was real, and honestly, you could almost hear the collective eye roll from the living room.

After the night’s disappointment, Shedeur addressed his family, keeping his head high and his perspective positive. "We all didn’t expect this, of course, but I feel like with God, anything possible, everything possible. I don’t feel like this happened for no reason. All of this is, of course, fuel to the fire. Under no circumstances did we all know this was going to happen, but we understand we on to bigger and better things," he said. "Tomorrow’s the day. We going to be happy regardless. Legendary."