Shedeur Sanders' slide to the fifth round of the NFL Draft was the subject of widespread controversy and speculation, even by President Donald Trump, in April.
Now, Hall of Famer Eric Dickerson is claiming that teams were "told not to" draft Sanders to "make an example" out of the quarterback.
"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 in an interview on the "Roggin and Rodney" show on AM 570 LA Sports on Thursday. "'We're going to make an example out of him.' And this came from a very good source, a very good source.
"They were going to have him not get drafted to basically show you 'this is what happens when you do this.' I mean, look, the NFL's got all kinds of power, they do all kinds of stuff."
Sanders was eventually taken by the Cleveland Browns on the third and final day of the draft with the 144th pick. The quarterback was initially considered a possible contender for the first overall pick early in the draft process after finishing his final season at Colorado.
Dickerson claims the Cleveland Browns were told to draft Sanders, but did not say who told them to do it.
"He said that - I won't say who - somebody called the Cleveland Browns and said 'don't do that, draft him,'" Dickerson said. "Because they weren't going to draft him either... They were forced into drafting him because somebody made a call to them."
Fox News Digital can not independently verify the truth of Dickerson's claims. Fox News Digital has reached out to the NFL for a response.
Sanders' slide out of the first round shocked many, including Trump, who sent a post on Truth Social condemning the league's owners for passing on the quarterback.
"What is wrong with NFL owners, are they STUPID? Deion Sanders was a great college football player, and was even greater in the NFL. He's also a very good coach, streetwise and smart! Therefore, Shedeur, his quarterback son, has PHENOMENAL GENES, and is all set for Greatness," Trump wrote. "He should be "picked" IMMEDIATELY by a team that wants to WIN. Good luck Shedeur, and say hello to your wonderful father!"
Then, once Sanders fell out of the second and third round the following day, the online discourse ramped up even more.
EX-NBA PLAYER MAKES SHEDEUR SANDERS-LEBRON JAMES COMPARISON AFTER QB'S PRESEASON DEBUT
ESPN draft analyst Mel Kiper Jr. said on-air after the third round ended, "I think it's disgusting. I don't understand what the heck's going on with this."
ESPN host Stephen A. Smith revealed a text message from an associate who compared the situation to Colin Kaepernick being out of the NFL since 2016, suggesting "collusion" was occuring.
"'This is a bad look for the NFL. This feels like Kaepernick-level collusion,'" Smith said the text read, adding that the situation goes beyond "talent evaluation."
"All the hard work the NFL League Office puts in to eradicate these kinds of perceptions, only to turn around and watch as the OWNERS look like they're colluding, messing up everything. What has been done to Shedeur will outshine everything else in this draft. We'll never believe this is about just talent evaluation again."
Once Sanders was finally taken by the Browns, the team's general manager Andrew Berry even admitted that the organization wasn't planning to take two quarterbacks, after it selected fellow rookie quarterback Dillon Gabriel earlier in the draft.
"It wasn't necessarily the plan going into the weekend to select two quarterbacks, but, you know, as we talk about, we do believe in best player available. We do believe in positional value. And we didn't necessarily expect him to be available in the fifth round," Berry said.
Sanders earned the praise of many fans and pundits with his first preseason performance on Aug. 8, when he threw two touchdowns against the Carolina Panthers.
He is set to play in the team's final preseason game on Saturday against the Los Angeles Rams.
Still, Sanders is buried on the team's current depth chart, listed as the fourth quarterback behind veterans Joe Flacco, Kenny Pickett, and the fellow rookie Gabriel.
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