The NFL dropped its 2026 Scouting Combine invite list on Wednesday, and fans scrolled through the names, speculating about who would finally get their shot to impress scouts and change the trajectory of their careers. But let’s just say not everyone got the news they were hoping for, and Deion Sanders might be feeling it a little heavier than the rest.

The list was brutal for Colorado. There was not a single Colorado Buffalo who made the list. Zero. After three years of hustle and Deion Sanders flipping the program, this felt like a gut punch. The turnaround from a 1–11 finish in 2022 to a 9–4 finish in 2024 was insane. He brought in the talent and energy, but something about this year’s list didn’t feel quite right, given Deion has always sold the NFL dream.

“I’m not just building a program, I’m building men for the next level,” he said when he first got to Boulder.

Another time, he said, “We’re trying to send you to the league. That’s the goal. If you can play, we’re going to get you there.”

He talks about the NFL nonstop, and the staff is filled with former NFL experience, from Deion himself to assistants, including OC Pat Shurmur and DC Robert Livingston.

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And when you zoom out, you can see the bigger picture: Ohio State, Alabama, Texas A&M, Penn State, and LSU were overloaded on the invite list with names. Colorado had eight players who had declared for the draft. Wide receiver Sincere Brown, the 6-foot-5 ex-South Florida transfer, had flashed his speed and hands all season, racking up 22 catches for 376 yards, including three explosive receptions over 60 yards.

Defensive tackle Amari McNeill had been a wrecking ball in the trenches that left quarterbacks scrambling. Then there was the offensive line, with Zy Crisler, starting right guard, who had really been rock-solid all season, playing 749 snaps without allowing a single sack. Zarian McGill was no less impressive, recording 774 snaps and giving up just one sack, one quarterback hit, and eight hurries.

And in the back end, defensive back Preston Hodge had quietly led the Big 12 in pass breakups despite a shaky secondary, while Jeremiah Brown, linebacker, piled up 73 tackles in his final year. And Arden Walker and Keaten Wade, on the defensive line, brought tackles for loss and sacks, dominating games. And yet they got nothing.

Shedeur Sanders and Travis Hunter made headlines last year, but their juniors were absolutely overlooked. For a coach who says, “If you’re good enough, you’re going to shine here,” this moment feels uncomfortable. Well, honestly, this isn’t the first time things have felt this way in Boulder.

Looking back at Shedeur’s slide

Last year, Shedeur Sanders continued to drop as quarterback after quarterback was taken off the board in the 2025 NFL Draft. First overall was Cam Ward. Dillon Gabriel, Tyler Shough, Jalen Milroe, and Jaxson Dart. Sanders was not one of the five quarterbacks whose names were called in the first three rounds. The fact that he just led the Buffs to a 9–4 finish while completing 74 percent of his passes and had thrown 64 touchdowns in two seasons at Colorado made it seem pretty unreal.

Then the reports started rolling out. CBS Sports’ Jonathan Jones said sources told him Sanders “more or less sandbagged” interviews with teams that didn’t want to draft him, adding he “did not give it his all” in some meetings, and something that “rubbed some teams the wrong way.”

An anonymous QB coach told Josina Anderson he came off “brash” and “arrogant.” Todd McShay said some teams even questioned whether he had a “professional approach.”

But here’s the messy part of the story that some insiders pushed back on. Many decision-makers were reportedly “more concerned with Sanders’ talent than anything off the field,” according to Jeff Howe of The Athletic, and the “personality nitpicks wouldn’t be an issue if he had put together better tape.”

So basically, the NFL doesn’t care about your swagger if you’re undeniable. On tape, Sanders wasn’t bad. Eventually, Shedeur Sanders was drafted in the fifth round of the 2025 NFL Draft by the Cleveland Browns.

And now, with no Colorado players invited to the Combine, for a coach who sold belief and NFL pathways, it really feels like momentum is slipping.