Shedeur Sanders’ NFL Draft Slide Blamed on His Famous Dad, Stephen A. Smith Claims

Shedeur Sanders was once seen as a possible top-five pick in the NFL Draft, but as the first round came and went, his name was nowhere to be found on any team’s draft card. Even by the end of the second and third rounds, Sanders was still waiting, while quarterbacks like Tyler Shough, Jalen Milroe, and Dillon Gabriel found new homes in the league.

Recent reports haven’t been kind to Sanders. Some NFL insiders described him as "entitled" and called his formal interview "the worst." ESPN’s Dan Orlovsky highlighted some areas in Sanders’ play that need work, but not everyone thinks his draft slide is about football.

Stephen A. Smith, never one to hold back, argued on Friday’s "First Take" that Sanders’ famous father, Deion "Primetime" Sanders, may be the real reason teams are passing. According to Smith, "It’s hard for me to sit here today and to watch a dude that was once projected to be one of the top two 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." He added that it’s tough to believe Shedeur’s draft-day tumble was just about his on-field abilities and not about the perceived baggage of dealing with Deion’s larger-than-life persona.

All eyes were glued to the Pittsburgh Steelers at No. 21, but they passed on picking a quarterback. The New York Giants traded back into the first round, too, but opted for Jaxson Dart instead. As the rounds rolled on, Shedeur’s wait just got longer.

The Sanders family was reportedly stunned by the outcome. In a video posted by Shedeur’s brother, Deion Jr., Shedeur admitted, "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." Despite the disappointment, Shedeur tried to keep things positive, saying, "Tomorrow’s the day. We going to be happy regardless. Legendary."

But as the draft moved forward, tomorrow wasn’t the day after all. If Saturday doesn’t bring a new chapter for Shedeur Sanders, the NFL world might just be left searching for answers.