Eric Dickerson claims NFL told teams not to draft Shedeur Sanders, fueling conspiracy around Browns rookie

When Shedeur Sanders slipped all the way to the fifth round of the 2025 NFL Draft, most people chalked it up to bad evaluations, attitude concerns, or maybe just bad luck. But Hall of Famer Eric Dickerson is now tossing out a theory that has Browns fans and NFL Twitter buzzing.

According to him, the league didn’t just let Sanders slide, they made it happen on purpose.

Eric Dickerson says NFL wanted to “make an example” out of Sanders

In his recent interview, Dickerson claimed he was told by a highly connected source that the NFL gave teams a direct message: don’t draft Shedeur Sanders.“I tell you this much, what I heard from someone that's in the NFL — the NFL told [teams] don’t draft him, do not draft him,” Dickerson said. “We’re going to make an example out of him.”

Dickerson even went further, suggesting the Browns only ended up taking him at No. 144 because someone behind the scenes pushed them to. The idea? To prove to players what happens if you bring too much noise into the league.

Pre-draft concerns about Sanders’ attitude played into his slide

Before this conspiracy theory, the more common explanation was that Sanders simply rubbed some teams the wrong way. Reports surfaced during the draft process that some execs saw him as arrogant in interviews, more invested in off-field projects than playbooks, and maybe too comfortable leaning on the “Coach Prime” brand.

Add in the fact that Deion Sanders was openly warning franchises about where he wanted his son to play, and suddenly the “can’t-miss” first-rounder started to look risky. That combination of family politics and personality red flags may have been enough to scare teams off, regardless of talent.

Not everyone is buying the conspiracy theory

While Dickerson’s claim made waves, insiders like NFL reporter Albert Breer aren’t convinced. He argued that the league had no secret directive, teams just didn’t see Sanders as a true first-round prospect.“I don’t think there was any conspiracy here,” Breer said. “The great majority of NFL teams did not view him as a first-round prospect contrary to what had been out there.”And historically, Breer has a point, once quarterbacks slide past Round 1, they often freefall until the mid-rounds. Sanders may have been just the latest to fit that pattern.Regardless of how he got to Cleveland, Sanders isn’t walking into an easy situation.

The Browns named Joe Flacco their Week 1 starter, while Sanders is battling it out with rookie Dillon Gabriel, Kenny Pickett, and Ty Huntley for backup reps.Things got spicier when Gabriel commented, “there’s entertainers and there’s competitors,” which many took as shade at Sanders. Instead of firing back, Sanders brushed it off with a calm answer about leaning on his faith and not letting words get to him. Later, he revealed Gabriel told him directly the remark wasn’t meant for him anyway.Also read - “It’s not going to change my life”: Shedeur Sanders reacts to Dillon Gabriel’s viral quote that fans thought was shade