FRISCO - A couple of years ago at AT&T Stadium, Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders and his father, Deion Sanders, found themselves on the sidelines at a Dallas Cowboys game.
They engaged with team owner Jerry Jones, who mumbled something about Shedeur someday being the No. 1 overall pick in an NFL Draft.
That marked Jones as the first NFL team official to go public with such a take ...
But in terms of true draft status? It's all been downhill from there.
Now, the QB is hoping to find his dreams realized in the 2025 NFL Draft, but his meteoric rise onto the college scene now comes with a equal and opposite sinking feeling ... as there are now suggestions the DFW native might not even go in Round 1 of this draft.
Recent reports about teams questioning his personality as "brash" and "arrogant" have opened the door for a first-round fall.
But now Deion - his father, his Colorado coach and a Pro Football Hall of Famer with a jam-packed resume that includes superstardom realized as a Super Bowl winner with the Cowboys - has revealed why the draft target is getting hated on so frequently.
"Why are you the only kid they're hating on?," Deion asked Shedeur on the "2Legendary" podcast.
"Cause you're 'Prime Time,'" Shedeur said, reference his Dad's controversial and charismatic high profile.
Deion offered a contrary take.
"No, it's because they want you to slide to their team," Deion said, attempting to affirm his son as one of the best prospects in this year's draft. "It's a game, but we know the game. We're Sanders, baby!"
Factually, Sanders is hardly the only prospect who is getting scrutinized; it's just that we don't usually call that "hate.''
Also factually, Shedeur is outspoken - but that doesn't need to be a negative. Indeed, Texas QB Quinn Ewers just announced that he believe he's "the best quarterback in the draft.''
Most teams see Ewers as a Day 3 prospect. So ... isn't that "arrogant and brash'' of him to say such a thing?
If Sanders falls out of the top five, 10, or 15 selections in April's NFL Draft, it's more likely due to his less-than-inspiring ceiling rather than his alleged knack for rubbing people the wrong way.
Related: Inside How Cowboys Could Draft Shedeur as Dak's Heir
Related: Cowboys' Jerry Jones Finally Tells Truth About 'Blow It Up' Plan
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This story was originally published March 8, 2025 at 2:31 PM.