Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders, once seen as a potential top-five pick, was left waiting as the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft came and went without his name being called. ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith addressed the unexpected fall, pointing to what he called a cloud of misinformation surrounding Shedeur and his father, Colorado head coach and Hall of Famer Deion Sanders.
Smith argued that biases linked to Deion—also known as Coach Prime—have unfairly impacted perceptions, fueling debate over how family legacy influences draft evaluations in professional sports.
ESPN Analyst Suggests Coach Prime May Have Impacted Teams’ Decisions
Shedeur Sanders, once projected as a top-five selection, went undrafted in the opening round of the 2025 NFL Draft — a result ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith attributes to more than just on-field evaluation.
Speaking on First Take Friday, Smith argued that off-field narratives, particularly those involving Sanders’ father and college coach Deion “Coach Prime” Sanders, played a major role in the quarterback’s slide.
“I believe that the biggest issue in all of this was Primetime Deion Sanders and the thought of having to deal with him,” Smith said.
WILD: Stephen A. Smith says Deion Sanders is the reason Sheduer Sanders was not drafted by an #NFL team in the first round.
“I believe that the biggest issue in all of this was Primetime Deion Sanders and the thought of having to deal with him…”
— MLFootball (@_MLFootball) April 25, 2025
Despite acknowledging some skepticism around Sanders’ interview performance during the pre-draft process, Smith dismissed that as the primary reason for his fall.
“It’s hard for me to sit here today and to 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.”
Smith’s co-panelists Dan Orlovsky and Marcus Spears disagreed, arguing that teams may have simply viewed Sanders as not worthy of a first-round pick. Still, Smith maintained his position.
“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,” he said.
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Other analysts see the situation differently. Louis Riddick questioned whether Sanders should be drafted ahead of Cam Ward.
Dane Brugler, in a recent mock draft, projected Sanders at No. 21 to Pittsburgh — far lower than his early top-five projections. As teams weigh quarterback needs, Smith views Sanders’ slide as “appalling,” while others urge patience until the draft fully concludes
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