Second-year quarterback Shedeur Sanders experienced one of the most shocking draft slides of the decade. A projected first-round pick leading up to the 2025 NFL Draft, Sanders fell all the way to the fifth round, eventually being selected by the Cleveland Browns at 144th overall.
Many have speculated about the reason behind Sanders’ unexpected draft slide, including his former Colorado teammate and wide receiver LaJohntay Wester. In a recent interview, Wester revealed that Sanders’ father and coach, Deion Sanders, was viewed as a “threat” and ultimately played a role in his fall.
Fans React as Ex-Colorado WR Reveals Reason for Shedeur Sanders’ Draft Slide
When asked about Sanders’ draft slide on “The Water Boyz Show,” Wester replied bluntly: “They felt threatened. The Deion Sanders family, they a threat to a lot of people.”
“I feel like that played a big role,” Wester continued. “Not only to Shedeur, but a lot of people around him, like me, Jimmy [Horn], Will Sheppard, pretty much all of us. We all took a drop in the draft because of things like that.”
In response to the situation, fans didn’t hold back.
“Coach Prime always talks about God and Jesus. How is that even a threat? People are weird, man,” a fan wrote on X, defending Sanders.
“Yes, they couldn’t draft anyone else other than Travis before Shedeur from Colorado. It would have been too obvious what they were doing, which is why some of them, like Will, didn’t get drafted,” one fan theorized.
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“He ain’t lying,” a fan wrote directly in response to Wester’s quote.
“No lies told,” another fan added.
The backlash continued, as one fan described the situation as the “Colorado Tax.”
Wester was selected by the Baltimore Ravens in the sixth round of the 2025 NFL Draft after recording 931 yards and 10 touchdowns during his senior season at Colorado. His teammate, Horn, was selected five picks later, 208th overall, by the Carolina Panthers. Meanwhile, Sheppard went entirely undrafted.
Between Sanders, Wester, and even Horn and Sheppard, there appears to be some validity to his statement. The one exception, however, is Travis Hunter, who was selected No. 2 overall by the Jacksonville Jaguars despite playing all three of his collegiate seasons under Coach Prime.
Entering the 2026 NFL season, Sanders is competing with Deshaun Watson for the Browns’ QB1 job. Time will soon tell whether Sanders was truly worthy of a first-round selection or if the 31 front offices that passed on him were right all along.
This article originally appeared on Pro Football Network.