Stephen A Smith goes ballistic over Shedeur Sanders' NFL Draft plunge: ‘Kaepernick all over again’

NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK: Stephen A Smith went on a fiery social media rant on Friday, April 25, as former Colorado Buffaloes quarterback Shedeur Sanders remained on the NFL Draft board by the end of the third round.

It was shocking for everyone as no analysts predicted such a slide for the son of Hall of Famer and Colorado head coach Deion Sanders, according to Mediaite.

Stephen A Smith calls Shedeur Sanders' NFL Draft plunge 'a damn disgrace'

Stephen A Smith took to X (formerly Twitter) to blast the NFL as the third round drew to a close.

He wrote, "This is a damn disgrace. How in the hell is @Shedeur not off the board, not drafted yet. Y’all still think this doesn’t have anything to do with teams hatin on @DeionSanders."

"This kid is a first rounder. In a different way, this is Kaepernick all over again… being kept out. A damn disgrace. I don’t care what anyone says!" the sports journalist added.

Smith was comparing Sanders' NFL Draft slide to Colin Kaepernick, who knelt during the national anthem in peaceful protest in 2016, and never got another chance as a quarterback in the NFL again, according to The Sporting News.

Several teams passed on the 23-year-old quarterback through three rounds from Thursday to Friday night, per the outlet.

Cam Ward, Jaxson Dart, Jalen Milroe, Dillon Gabriel, and Tyler Shough were quarterbacks who were taken before Sanders.

Sanders was one of the most high-profile quarterbacks in the class as he entered the 2025 NFL Draft. He put up big numbers in Boulder in 2024.

Notably, ESPN draft analyst Mel Kiper predicted that Sanders would go early and did not rule him out of going in the top three, as per Mediaite.

Having said that, an unnamed NFL assistant coach slammed Sanders in an anonymous quote on Wednesday, according to Yahoo Sports.

The coach revealed that his meeting with the quarterback was "the worst formal interview I’ve ever been in in my life."

"He’s so entitled. He takes unnecessary sacks. He never plays on time. He has horrible body language. He blames teammates…But the biggest thing is, he’s not that good," they added. 

Shedeur Sanders still available in fourth round of NFL Draft

Shedeur Sanders is still available in the fourth round of the NFL Draft, as 102 picks and five quarterbacks were selected before him, according to The Guardian.

Interestingly, the 23-year-old was initially rated by a few draft analysts as a better QB prospect than Miami’s Cam Ward, who ultimately went number one overall to the Tennessee Titans, per the outlet.

However, Sanders was sacked 94 times over his last two college seasons. There were also worries about Sanders' arm strength and questions about how well he would adapt to playing for someone other than his father, as per The Guardian. 

It seemed on Thursday that he might get picked when the New York Giants traded up to the 25th pick, but the team opted for Mississippi's Jaxson Dart.

Shedeur Sanders gets a prank call during NFL Draft livestream

Shedeur Sanders fell victim to a prank call on Friday after falling to the third round and getting passed on in favor of two other quarterbacks, Fox News reported.

As Sanders and his family live-streamed day two of their NFL Draft party on Twitch on Friday night, the 23-year-old was seen answering a phone call that he thought was from a general manager deciding to draft him.

Sanders had a big smile on his face as he answered and greeted the caller, as friends and family crowded around him, per the outlet. 

He said, "I'm good, been waiting on you."

However, the imposter told Sanders that he would "have to wait a little longer" as Sanders' smile faded from his face. As the call ended, those gathered around him started a concerned conversation, as he looked at his phone. His Twitch stream was then ended.