Is league-wide collusion to blame for Shedeur Sanders' draft dive?
Shedeur Sanders endured a stunning slide in the NFL draft. While most experts anticipated that he would be the second quarterback selected after Miami standout Cam Ward, Sanders' freefall became real after the Pittsburgh Steelers passed on him with the 21st overall pick back on Day 1.
Fans and analysts alike were shocked by Sanders’ fall, which was finally ended when the Cleveland Browns selected the quarterback in the fifth round with the 144th overall pick. However, the Browns had passed on Sanders multiple times, opting to draft QB Dillon Gabriel instead with their No. 94 pick.
Stephen A. Smith had some thoughts to share on Sanders’ unexpected tumble as the First Take host believes the league colluded against the former Colorado quarterback. “We haven’t seen anything like [Sanders’ slide]. And when you’re talking about the owners… It seems very Kaepernick-like, as in Colin Kaepernick,” Smith noted on his official X account.
Stephen A. Smith took issue with the NFL after Shedeur Sanders’ draft drop
“Shedeur Sanders is not blameless here. ‘Prime Time’ Dieon Sanders is not blameless here. I’m going to say what I have to say knowing that both of them have their hands at least a little dirty in all of this. But if you’re the National Football League, clearly it’s not about talent anymore. It’s about something else. And I’m gonna tell you I spent a large amount of the last 24 hours thinking about nothing more than I was thinking about collusion. Because how in the hell does 32 teams in the National Football League pass on a quarterback that was universally recognized as one of the top three quarterbacks in the country entering this draft and 32 teams passed on him not once, not twice, not three times but four different times they passed on him. How the hell does that happen? Four rounds! “ Smith said.
“We’ve never seen anything like this before. We’ve seen guys drop because of injuries. We’ve seen guys drop because of off-field issues. But we’ve never seen a quarterback projected to be a top 20 pick, universally recognized as one of the top three quarterbacks in the draft. Projected to be a first rounder… and drop literally to the fifth round. We haven’t seen anything like that,” he added.
Analysts attempting to explain Sanders’ draft dive also concluded that the fall wasn’t related to his ability as a player. But rather than league-wide collusion, NFL Network’s Joel Klatt theorized, “It’s personality. It’s fit with an organization. It’s a meeting that didn’t go the right way.”
