There was a lot of discussion about where Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders was destined to land in the 2025 NFL Draft, with many fans and analysts projecting him to go as high as the top five.
His fall to the fifth round became the most intriguing subplot of the draft and left many wondering if everyone’s evaluation of him was completely wrong or if there was something else happening behind the scenes that turned teams off.
Hall of Fame running back Eric Dickerson believes the latter, as he recently said the NFL told teams not to draft him in order to make an example out of him.
“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,” Dickerson said.
DISGUSTING: According to NFL Hall of Famer Eric Dickerson, the NFL told teams not to draft Shedeur.
“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 Art Of Dialogue (@ArtOfDialogue_) August 21, 2025
Dickerson said he had a good source to verify this and that the Browns ultimately defied the league when they selected him with the 144th pick.
It’s a wild claim that would be truly disheartening if it turned out to be true, but it’s unlikely any of us will ever actually know what happened.
Players have come into the NFL with high profiles and Hall of Fame last names before, but Sanders didn’t do anything worthy of being blackballed or to suggest he needed to be made an example of.
He has checked all the boxes since coming to Cleveland and has embraced his role as a backup for the time being, though it appears to be only a matter of time before he gets a crack at being a starter.
Cleveland needs to find out what it has in him prior to the 2026 draft, and hopefully, he can prove his doubters wrong and be this team’s next franchise QB.
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