Shedeur Sanders Breaks His Silence After Draft Day Snub and Viral Prank Aimed at Humiliating Him and His Family
Deion Sanders’ son Shedeur Sanders was the most talked-about prospect during the 2025 NFL draft weekend. The award-winning quarterback’s surprising fall to the fifth round produced questions and complaints from football fans and pundits.
While some draft prognosticators expected Sanders to be a first-round pick, the Cleveland Browns eventually selected the son of NFL legend “Coach Prime” with the 144th overall pick.
Shedeur’s shocking drop down the draft board became so intriguing that his name was a trending topic on social media for days. His agonizing wait for an official call from an NFL franchise was documented on a live Twitch stream.
On April 26, after the former University of Colorado player finally got word from the Browns that he was drafted to the team for the 2025 season, Shedeur simply tweeted, “Thank you, GOD.”
The 23-year-old also spoke about his draft weekend debacle while visiting John Marshall High School in Cleveland on April 30. According to Cleveland 19 News, he answered questions for over 15 minutes.
The 2024 Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award recipient specifically addressed speculation that his Pro Football Hall of Fame father was too involved in his burgeoning career.
“That’s just a tactic people use for people that come from good families or have good parents. I didn’t fall into that. My dad’s who he is, and I’m gonna be who I am regardless. I’m always gonna be his son,” Shedeur told the group of young people and the media members gathered to hear him speak.
The Nike-backed athlete added, “People say, ‘Oh, you did this because of your dad.’ I’m thankful my dad took the opportunity to do what he was supposed to do. I don’t never feel shame or anything like that.”
Shedeur’s trip to John Marshall High School is said to be part of his stated commitment to be heavily involved in the Cleveland-area community. He’s also motivated to be a positive influence on the city’s youth.
“I’m trying to bring Cleveland a Super Bowl!” Saunders told the students. “But off the field, I want to bring more hope and positivity to the city, and connecting with young people is one of the best ways to do that.”
The draft fiasco has already made Shedeur a polarizing figure among many NFL viewers. Some fans praised him for achieving his dream of being a professional football player, while others took issue with the nepo baby’s meteoric rise to stardom.
As a result, Deion has also been at the center of online debate about his role in helping Shedeur reach the league. The retired Dallas Cowboys cornerback coached his son at Jackson State University from 2021 to 2022 and at Colorado from 2023 to 2024.
Shedeur’s comments from his appearance at John Marshall High School set off reactions on social media. For instance, Instagram users flooded the Hollywood Unlocked comment section to give their opinions on the situation.
“Amen!!!!! If everyone’s dad did what they were supposed to do… maybe… just maybe the world would be a better place,” a Sanders family supporter posted on the app.
An additional Shedeur advocate commented, “This young man is a good person no matter how they treated him. He is still loved by others!! God got a plan for him!!”
“Lol, the NFL made him a martyr, which makes him more legendary,” expressed a third person. Yet another Instagram commenter wrote, “All that hate [is going] fuel up bro, his dad was hated too [for real].”
Countless sportscasters, like ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith, shared their thoughts on Shedeur falling to No. 144 in the NFL draft. The “First Take” panelist suggested NFL officials were making a point when teams passed on selecting the most recent Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year 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,” Smith theorized on the April 25th edition of the “First Take” talk show, reiterating rumors that NFL team executives were concerned about Deion’s potential presence behind the scenes.
The outspoken sports journalist resumed, “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.”
“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 of the entire first round without his father having an impact, I don’t buy that,” Smith added.
When Shedeur was ultimately taken by the Browns, the team’s general manager, Andrew Berry, called the former “Deion’s Family Playbook” reality show cast member to give him the good news.
“Hey, I know it’s been a long weekend. We’re gonna take you off the board here, brother,” Berry informed Shedeur on April 26, before adding, “You gotta come in. You gotta work hard. You gotta earn your job, earn your keep. It doesn’t matter where you’re taken, it matters what you do from this point forward.”
Footage of their phone conversation was uploaded to the verified Cleveland Browns YouTube channel. The video ends with a smiling Shedeur putting on a Browns hat as his loved ones cheered in the background.
In his freshman year at Jackson State, Shedeur threw for 3,231 yards and 30 touchdowns. That success led him to become the first player from a historically black college or university to win the Jerry Rice Award for most outstanding freshman in 2021.
Shedeur’s list of collegiate accomplishments also includes the 2022 Deacon Jones Trophy for most outstanding all-around HBCU player and the 2022 SWAC Offensive Player of the Year. The QB was named First-Team All-SWAC in 2022 as well.
Plus, he won the Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year honor and the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award in 2024 as a member of the Colorado team. The school retired his No. 2 jersey following a two-year stint that produced 7,364 passing yards, 64 touchdowns, and a 71.8 completion percentage.