Shedeur Sanders' Unprecedented NFL Draft Slide Compared To Colin Kaepernick Situation

A prominent sports media figure compared former Colorado Buffaloes quarterback Shedeur Sanders' NFL Draft slide to Colin Kaepernick essentially being banned from the NFL due to his beliefs. Sanders name remains on the board entering Day 3 of the NFL Draft.

Jan 30, 2025; Arlington, TX, USA; West quarterback Shedeur Sanders of Colorado (2) looks on from the sidelines during the first half against the East at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images / Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

Day 3 of the 2025 NFL Draft has arrived, and former Colorado Buffaloes quarterback Shedeur Sanders has inexplicably yet to fall off the board. The exact reason for Sanders' slide remains unknown, but analysts are offering opinions and comparisons to the historic snub.

ESPN's Stephen A. Smith went on X Friday night to share his thoughts as Sanders went undrafted in the second and third rounds. In doing so, Smith compared Sanders to former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick, whose decision to kneel during the national anthem before games in 2016 essentially led to the end of his NFL career.

"This is a (expletive) disgrace," Smith wrote on X. "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 (Colorado coach) Deion Sanders. This kid is a first rounder. In a different way, this is Kaepernick all over again... being kept out. A (expletive) disgrace. I don’t care what anyone says!"

Apr 2, 2022; Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA; Colin Kaepernick on the sideline before the Spring game at Michigan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images / Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images

Smith later doubled-down on comparing Sanders to Kaepernick in another tweet.

"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,'" Smith wrote. "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. What has been done to Shedeur will outshine everything else in this draft. We’ll never believe this is about just talent evaluation again."

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As Smith said, Sanders' slide clearly isn't due to his talent. The all-time great Colorado quarterback threw for 4,134 yards and 37 touchdowns last season while completing a career-high 74 percent of his passes.

Apr 19, 2025; Boulder, CO, USA; Colorado Buffaloes former player Shedeur Sanders before the spring game at Folsom Field. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images / Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images

Few were surprised when former Miami quarterback Cam Ward went No. 1 overall to the Tennessee Titans, but four quarterbacks with seemingly subpar abilities followed as Sanders remained untaken. Former Ole Miss quarterback Jaxson Dart went to the New York Giants late in the first round, followed by Tyler Shough (Louisville) in the second and Jalen Milroe (Alabama) and Dillon Gabriel (Oregon) in the third.

Smith also pointed toward "Coach Prime" for Sanders' surprising draft fall.

"I believe that the biggest issue in all of this was Prime Time Deion Sanders and the thought of having to deal with him," Smith said on ESPN. "I just read something this morning where they literally said, 'You know what? One of the things folks had a concern about was were they really getting the truth out of the program (Colorado)? Because when you go to a program and ask about a particular player, you can get all the intel. But in this particular instance, because he was being coached by his dad, folks weren't confident they were getting the right accurate information about him."

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