NFL Draft 2025: Stephen A. Smith Agrees That Shedeur Sanders Not Being Drafted Feels Like “Colin Kaepernick-Level Collusion”

After being listed as the betting favorite to be selected with the third overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft just a few months ago, Shedeur Sanders has officially fallen to the fourth round of the draft. The slide is unprecedented, to say the least, and it has left fans and analysts alike scrambling to figure out what could have potentially caused such a discrepancy in his pre-draft evaluations.

In fact, Sanders’ slide is so unparalleled that it’s left analysts such as Stephen A. Smith hinting at a possible case of collusion. With nothing else to compare it to, the longstanding face of ESPN likened the situation to that of Colin Kaepernick’s, claiming that NFL owners are “messing everything up,” with “Kaepernick-level collusion.”

Given the seemingly never-ending stream of race-related allegations that circle throughout the league each and every year, some fans are beginning to speculate that this, too, could be an instance of bigotry on behalf of NFL executives. With Smith having compared the ongoing debacle to that of the Kaepernick controversy, numerous members of the public are claiming that Sanders is being used to set an example.

Others found themselves suggesting that Sanders was never truly a first-round talent to begin with, and that others are simply reading too much into things. Considering that Sanders featured the slowest release time of any quarterback in his class, it remains plausible that teams simply didn’t wish to allocate expensive draft capital towards a talent that’s surrounded by question marks.

Regardless of what the true cause behind the slide may be, one thing is for certain, and that is the fact that no one truly knows what caused this to happen. Nevertheless, the former Colorado Buffalo has maintained his composure throughout the ongoing process.

In his most recent post to social media, the 23-year-old signal caller chose to once again thank his lord and savior for all of his trials and tribulations.

Even after Sanders fell all the way to the 94th overall spot in the draft, the Cleveland Browns, one of the original teams that were favored to draft him, elected to take Dillon Gabriel, a quarterback from Oregon. The New York Giants and the New Orleans Saints, two other teams who were rumored to be in the market for Sanders at one point or another, also drafted quarterbacks throughout the first and second rounds of the draft.

Suffice it to say, the majority of teams who needed a passer got one. However, with those franchises now likely out of the market, there remains one glaring option left.

The Las Vegas Raiders, one of the last teams that were rumored to have interest in Sanders, are still without a competent quarterback. The Raiders invested a pair of third-round picks into their offensive line, suggesting that a future QB pick could be inevitable.

Considering that Tom Brady, the man who helped tutor Sanders throughout the early days of his career, is also a minority owner in the team, it’s possible that Sanders could find himself in the AFC West next season. It’s also worth mentioning that, prior to the start of the second round, the Raiders were listed as the betting favorites to draft Sanders.

Although now that Sanders’ name remains on the board heading into the fourth round of the draft, it’s safe to say that all bets are officially off, even for Las Vegas.