NFL analyst hints at Deion Sanders' role in "smear campaign" against Shedeur Sanders ahead of 2025 Draft

It's been a difficult few days for Shedeur Sanders. After opting to skip the gauntlet at the NFL Combine in Indianapolis, Sanders interviewed with a few NFL teams at the top end of the draft.

Those interviews seemingly didn't quite go his way as many pre and post-combine mock drafts projected a slide for the former Colorado Buffaloes quarterback. In his pre-combine mock draft, ESPN's Mel Kiper Jr. had Sanders slipping past the Las Vegas Raiders to land with the New York Jets at No. 7 overall.

Several reports have also indicated that teams are not impressed with Sanders' ability as a quarterback or his supposed antics off the field. Draft analyst Matt Miller also recently talked about the notions of a "smear campaign" against the Colorado star.

In light of those comments, NFL analyst Todd McShay believes Deion Sanders himself is to blame for what is being seen by fans as something along the lines of a character assassination.

McShay had some strong comments regarding the role the Buffs HC has inadvertently played in his son's draft stock during an episode of "The Ryen Russillo Podcast":

"98-99% of the people who come in this room, the players, they're like, 'Yes sir,' like intense. This is the biggest job interview of their lives. When one guy comes in, and it's really different than all the other ones, nothing about it was contentious. Nothing about it was disrespectful," McShay noted.

"It was just there was a different level of professionalism. Don't get the sense that he cared an awful lot about what we thought. And to be quite honest with you, I don't think anyone's surprised. This is the narrative we've been talking about since, like, September. Remember, Coach Prime has been out there since, like early season," he added.

(from 20:32 mark onwards)

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Could Deion Sanders' line in the sand have affected Shedeur Sanders' draft stock?

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During a January appearance on the "Tamron Hall Show", Deion Sanders took a firm stance, saying he won't allow his son to play for "a couple of teams":

"This is my profession. I know what's behind the curtain. We ain't got to get back there for me to understand what's behind the curtain and what's not prominent for my son. I'm not doing it," Coach Prime said on the show.

In the weeks that followed, Sanders also declared his son wouldn't drop below No. 3 overall, a pick that is held by the QB-needy New York Giants.

However, Sportskeeda insider Tony Pauline reported that there could be a different reason for Shedeur Sanders' sliding draft stock. Pauline reported that teams are not as high on the quarterback because he didn't show as much improvement in his game as Miami's Cam Ward, who's seen as the No. 1 QB in this draft class.