Sanders Draft Snub Shows How Racist The NFL Owners Truly Are
Shedeur Sanders emerged as one of the top college quarterbacks in recent years, showcasing exceptional talent and leadership that transformed two programs. Starting at Jackson State under his father, Deion Sanders, he threw for 6,983 yards and 70 touchdowns over two seasons, revitalizing the team’s football legacy. Transferring to Colorado, he continued his dominance, amassing 7,364 yards and 64 touchdowns in his final two years, with a record-setting FBS career completion rate of 71.8%. In 2024, he led the Buffaloes to a 9-4 record, their best since 2016, earning Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year honors with 4,134 yards and 37 touchdowns. His ability to perform under pressure—despite taking 99 sacks over two seasons due to a weak offensive line—highlighted his resilience and football IQ, traits that should have made him a lock for the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft.
Yet, despite his stellar stats and proven leadership, Sanders was shockingly passed over in the first round of the NFL Draft on April 24, 2025, a snub that reeks of pure, 100% racism. Only two quarterbacks were selected in the first round—Miami’s Cam Ward at No. 1 and Ole Miss’ Jaxson Dart at No. 25—while Sanders, widely projected as a top-10 pick, fell out entirely. Teams like the Giants, Browns, and Saints, all in desperate need of a quarterback, opted for other positions or less proven players, despite Sanders’ superior college production and pedigree as the son of a Hall of Famer. The NFL has a long history of undervaluing Black quarterbacks, often citing vague concerns about “fit” or “attitude,” as seen with Sanders’ supposed “arrogance” and “media distractions” tied to his father’s fame. These criticisms, however, feel like coded language for racial bias, especially when his on-field performance was undeniable and his character was praised by figures like Jerry Jones, who called him an “unbelievable competitive winning character.”
The racism behind Sanders’ draft slide becomes even clearer when examining the league’s treatment of other Black quarterbacks historically and the lack of substantive football-related critiques against him. While some scouts pointed to Sanders’ arm strength or pocket presence, these concerns were overstated—he ranked third-lowest in FBS for off-target throws and showed accuracy under pressure. Meanwhile, quarterbacks like Cam Ward, also Black, went No. 1, but Ward fit a more “athletic” stereotype often imposed on Black QBs, whereas Sanders’ cerebral, pocket-passing style challenged the NFL’s outdated prototype for Black quarterbacks. Posts on X echoed this sentiment, with some fans and analysts like ESPN’s Ryan Clark arguing that Sanders’ race and swagger played a role in his fall, one user even stating, “I’m not a Shedeur Sanders fan but what just happened is straight up racism bro.” In a league where 80% of first-round picks in 2025 were Black, the specific exclusion of Sanders—a polished, high-performing Black quarterback—reveals a deeper bias against those who don’t conform to racial expectations at the position, making his draft slide a glaring example of systemic racism in the NFL.
