Shedeur Sanders’ draft fall was one nightmare that the Sanders family will never forget. A simple NFL combine interview turned the reason behind Shedeur’s biggest fall as the projected No.1 pick fell to the fifth round and went to the Cleveland Browns with the 144th overall pick. Now, while hosting a class with students, Deion Sanders got real about the memory of last year’s draft that still hurts him.

Deion Sanders returned to class this week as ‘Professor Prime,’ teaching Colorado students about self-identity and leadership. During that session, the conversation turned to the NFL Draft and brought back last year’s memory.

“They got the draft coming up, right?” Sanders said during the teaching session with Colorado students. “I’m still angry about last year’s draft, so I’m not even watching.”

Sanders did not say much more, but his reaction said enough. The former Colorado coach made it clear that Shedeur’s draft slide still sits heavily with him a year later. Some teams felt that Shedeur did not do well in interviews and looked unprepared when they tested him on playbooks. But the worst was yet to come, as there were also reports that some teams saw him as “unprofessional” and “disinterested.” A few even felt he came across as brash and arrogant. This created a negative impression, which hurt his chances in the draft.

Shedeur Sanders had also spoken confidently about the kind of impact he believed he could make at the next level.

“We went from Jackson State to Colorado and changed two programs back-to-back,” Sanders said. “You don’t think I could come to an NFL franchise and change a program again? It’s history. It’s always going to repeat itself.”

What’s worse is that all this was happening when Deion Sanders was himself dealing with health concerns. On one side, he was battling bladder cancer; on the other side, his son was facing one of the biggest downfalls of his career. Even Shilo Sanders went undrafted last season. Everything seemed to be falling apart for them, and the fans’ nasty comments and analyst comparisons just made things worse for him.

Shedeur Sanders’ backers will also point to what he did on the field at Colorado. He helped the Buffaloes finish 9-4 and reach their first bowl game since 2020, which is why his slide to the fifth round drew so much attention. But apart from Shadeur’s NFL draft saga, Deion Sanders has another issue to deal with as Colorado has shockingly been excluded from this year’s draft.

Deion Sanders’s team concerning the NFL draft rankings

Colorado is going into the 2026 NFL Draft hoping some of its players get picked. But one mock draft by NFL expert Jordan Reid is worrying because he did not include any Colorado players in all seven rounds. This makes people question how NFL teams see the team’s talent right now.

This is surprising because Colorado still has good players, especially cornerback Preston Hodge. He had a strong 2025 season and looks like someone who could be drafted in the first or second round. Plus, he even had a solid production as he broke up 13 passes and got one interception, which made it the best season of his college career.

He was the best player in the Big 12 for pass breakups and was also one of the top players in the whole country. But just one player can’t change Deion Sanders’ destiny. This situation shows a bigger problem for head coach Deion Sanders. Last year, Colorado had four players picked in the NFL Draft, which was a good sign for the team. But now, there is a chance that very few or even no players may get drafted. What do you think? Let us know in the comments down below.