Stephen A. Smith calls Shedeur Sanders falling in the NFL Draft 'appalling'

NFL quarterback prospect Shedeur Sanders is the biggest question entering Thursday's NFL Draft. 

Sanders, once a candidate to be the top pick in this year's draft, is rumored to be falling on draft boards, according to multiple reports.

Some reports have suggested Sanders may not even be taken in the first round. 

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Deion Sanders (right) with son Shedeur Sanders on the red carpet before the Super Bowl LIX NFL Honors at Saenger Theatre in New Orleans Feb. 6, 2025. (Kirby Lee/Imagn Images)

For ESPN host Stephen A. Smith, the notion that Sanders, one of the top quarterbacks in college football this year, could fall out of the first round is "appalling." 

"I'm trying to figure out is what the hell is the precipitous drop all about?" Smith said on ESPN's "First Take" Thursday. 

"We know this brother can play. We know about whether he doesn't have the greatest motor or the greatest arm. The accuracy is there. The poise is there. The pedigree is there. We see all of these things along with his skill set and what he's been able to do on the collegiate level, and here we are now wondering if this guy is going to be a second-round pick. I find this very appalling and very alarming and very disturbing."

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Stephen A. Smith on ESPN's "NBA Countdown" set at Intuit Dome. (Kirby Lee/Imagn Images)

Sanders led the Big 12 Conference with 4,134 passing yards and 37 touchdown passes and was named the Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year. In his 50 college games, Sanders threw for 14,347 yards, 134 touchdowns and 27 interceptions. 

He was projected to be one of the top players taken and potentially the first player taken during and shortly after the college football season. 

However, Sanders' draft stock has come into question in recent weeks amid concerns about his character. 

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An anonymous NFL coach recently told the NFL Network Sanders was "the worst formal interview I've ever been in in my life." 

"He's so entitled. He takes unnecessary sacks. He never plays on time. He has horrible body language. He blames teammates," the coach continued. "But the biggest thing is he's not that good." 

Another longtime AFC executive echoed that sentiment, telling the outlet, "It didn't go great in our interview. He wants to dictate what he's going to do and what's best for him. He makes you feel small." 

Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders speaks during a press conference at the NFL football scouting combine Feb. 28, 2025, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)

Sanders expressed confidence in a social media post just hours before the draft Thursday. 

"Legendary," he posted on X Thursday morning.

He added, "I’m built for whatever today may bring."

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