Pro Football Hall of Fame Enshrinee Eric Dickerson has alleged that the National Football League instructed teams not to draft quarterback Shedeur Sanders, saying the league wanted to “make an example” out of the player after his slide in the 2025 NFL Draft. Dickerson made these statements during a recent appearance on the “Roggin and Rodney Show,” citing information he received from a source within the league.
“I tell you this much, what I heard from someone that’s in the NFL [is] 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.” According to Dickerson, “He said that – I won’t say who – somebody called the Cleveland Browns and said ‘don’t do that, draft him,’ (…) Because they weren’t going to draft him either… They were forced into drafting him because somebody made a call to them.”
Sanders was expected by some analysts to be selected in the first round but ultimately went 144th overall in the fifth round to the Cleveland Browns. When questioned about why such an action would be taken by the league, Dickerson stated, “They were going to have him not get drafted to basically show you: ‘This is what happens when you do this.’”
Dickerson did not clarify what behavior might have led to this alleged punishment. Some sports commentators suggested Sanders’ drop could be attributed instead to his approach during pre-draft activities—such as reported reluctance to meet with or work out for specific teams.
NFL insider Albert Breer responded to Dickerson’s claim on “The Dan Patrick Show,” saying, “I don’t think there was any conspiracy here… I think the great majority of NFL teams did not view him as a first-round prospect, contrary to what had been out there the year previous (…). Once you get past the first round,” he added, “not a lot of quarterbacks go in the second or third rounds.”
