Colorado QB Shedeur Sanders had one of the most shocking falls in an NFL Draft in the history of the event in April. Sanders came in as a projected Top 10 pick, but in the days leading up to the draft, there began to be murmuring about a potential fall. Nobody knew how steep that fall would actually turn out to be.
Sanders slipped all the way to the 5th round and pick No. 144 overall before the Cleveland Browns finally called his name to give him his NFL shot. It was a stunning fall, one that immediately elicited rumors of a grand conspiracy. No player had ever fallen like that out of nowhere - something had to be afoot.
So it's not exactly shocking to hear former Hall of Fame RB Eric Dickerson say the quiet part out loud. According to Dickerson, the NFL told teams not to draft Sanders in order to make an example out of the Colorado QB:
DISGUSTING: According to NFL Hall of Famer Eric Dickerson, the NFL told teams not to draft Shedeur.
— The Art Of Dialogue (@ArtOfDialogue_) August 21, 2025
“The NFL told teams, ‘Do not draft him. We’re gonna make an example out of him. Somebody called the Browns and said, Don’t do that. Don’t draft him.’” pic.twitter.com/2uFsVJCtJX
The NFL conspiring against Shedeur Sanders makes too much sense
It's wild how much people want to hate Shedeur Sanders. Sure, he's cocky and confident, but he's also shown an early maturity beyond his years as he navigates life as a rookie QB in the NFL.
And he does all of it with a smile on his face, in spite of the deck seemingly being stacked against him at every turn so far.
Sanders has shined when he has gotten the opportunity with the Browns, though those opportunities have been few and far between so far. He has a sparkling debut in the preseason, flashing the immense potential that made so many draft experts believe he was an obvious first-round talent.
In spite of that, he hasn't made up any ground in the Browns' QB competition so far. Cleveland recently announced veteran Joe Flacco would start, and Sanders remains behind fellow rookie Dillon Gabriel in the pecking order. Most observers would note that Sanders has been consistently better in Training Camp and had the better preseason performance after one game each, but Gabriel was drafted two rounds higher by the Browns, and they aren't yet willing to admit that was incorrect.
As he did consistently during his time in Boulder, Sanders will continue to prove the doubters wrong, one game at a time.