"What the hell is going on?" - Stephen A. Smith concerned with Shedeur Sanders' "alarming" draft stock drop

Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders was viewed as one of the best quarterback prospects in this year's draft. However, after his decision to forego the NFL Combine and the Big 12 Pro Day, Coach Prime's stock has been on a rapid decline. Reports suggested that he was viewed as 'brash' and 'arrogant', which has led to teams lowering their interest in him as a prospect.

On Tuesday's episode of ESPN's 'First Take', Stephen A. Smith discussed the decline in Shedeur's draft stock. He expressed his concerns about the Colorado quarterback ahead of his professional career in the league.

Smith expressed his shock at how quickly Shedeur went from being a No.1 overall prospect to now being a late first-round prospect.

"I want to get to a bigger discussion..."Smith said. "I'm very uncomfortable with what has happened with Shedeur Sanders. I understand it's the NFL draft and I understand things happen. And you evaluate your scout and you see what you see, I get that part."

"We went literally from talking about whether or not him (Shedeur) or Cam Ward should be the No.1 overall pick, to Shedeur Sanders being a top-three pick, to Shedeur Sanders possibly falling to No.6. Then we hear No.9 to New Orleans. Now, we're talking about the Steelers at No.21. What the hell happened?" (TS-4:25 onwards)

Stephen A. Smith also highlighted how other analysts and experts praised the Colorado quarterback for his personality and professionalism. This is why he could not understand why his draft stock had taken a negative hit rather than a positive one.

"You know what Ryan Clark and Louis Reddick and others raved about? All of the bravado and all of this other stuff, the professionalism, the dedication, the excellence and commitment. All of these intangibles that supposedly we look for in any athlete, especially the quarterback."

"This brother seems to have it. And as the days progress, his stature, or his status, seems to dwindle. I find it inexplicable, I find it alarming, and I find it almost insulting from a standpoint that this is Deion Sanders' son we're talking about...just explain, what the hell is going on?" (TS-5:35 onwards)

Last season, Shedeur Sanders helped the Colorado Buffaloes to a 9-4 campaign and an Alamo Bowl appearance. He notched up 4,134 yards and 37 touchdowns and was honored with the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award.

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Todd McShay spills the beans on the Steelers' interest in Shedeur Sanders

The Steelers moved on from Justin Fields and Russell Wilson as their quarterbacks after the 2024 campaign. With just Mason Rudolph on the depth chart, Mike Tomlin and his team have been trying to acquire Aaron Rodgers from free agency. However, Rodgers has yet to finalize his decision regarding his NFL future.

The second choice for Mike Tomlin and the Steelers would be to acquire a quarterback through the draft. According to Todd McShay, the franchise could potentially draft Shedeur Sanders with the 21st overall pick if he remains available on the board by then.

"I am told, and trust your sources, or you know figure it's lying season, and it's lying season, and it's making its rounds just because I tend to trust where I'm getting this information. Mike Tomlin really likes Shedeur. If he is there at 21, Shedeur could very well be a Pittsburgh Steeler."

The Giants and the Saints have also been reportedly interested in acquiring the Colorado quarterback. Thus, the Steelers might not have to look in the other direction and get a different quarterback other than Shedeur later this month.