For all the hype surrounding Sheduer Sanders in the NFL, is it possible that the league didn't want him in the first place?
According to NFL legend Eric Dickerson, the answer is yes. Recently, Dickerson implied there was a concerted effort to keep Sanders out of the league, per Christian Arnold of the New York Post.
Dickerson made his allegations on the “Roggin and Rodney Show” on AM 570 LA Sports.
“I tell you this much, what I heard from someone that’s in the NFL that the NFL told [teams] don’t draft him, do not draft him,” Dickerson said. “We’re going to make an example out of him. And this came from a very good source, a very good source.”
Later on, Dickerson claims that an anonymous person called the Cleveland Browns and told them not to draft Sanders.
“He said that – I won’t say who – somebody called the Cleveland Browns and said ‘don’t do that, draft him,’” he said. “Because they weren’t going to draft him either… They were forced into drafting him because somebody made a call to them.”
A conspiracy by the NFL against Shedeur Sanders?
In April, Sanders was drafted by the Browns in the 5th round. A move that sent shockwaves throughout the league, with many expecting Sanders to be the No.1 pick.
Since then, he's been under pressure to live up to expectations. Also, following in the footsteps of his legendary father and former coach Deion Sanders.
During the preseason, Sanders showed some flashes of potential. Against the Carolina Panthers, Sanders had two touchdown passes, zero interceptions, and 138 passing yards.
Recently, he sustained an oblique injury that kept him out of practice.
The notion of a conspiracy dervies from Dickerson, a fan who filed a civil rights lawsuit against the NFL for the draft, and the so called “Deion Factor” in which his father expressed where he wanted his son to play.
However, NFL insider Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated refuted those claims on the Dan Patrick Show.
“I think the great majority of NFL teams did not view him as a first-round prospect contrary to what had been out there for the year previous,” Breer said.
As of now, Sanders is fighting for the starting quarterback position, with veteran QB Joe Flaco expected to take command before the start of the season.