Guess who had the most interesting graph moving from college to the NFL? That’s none other than the former Colorado Buffaloes quarterback Shedeur Sanders. The 23-year-old hailed himself as the top pick. “That’s crap bruh, I ain’t going sixth,” this was Shedeur’s reaction when Field Yates projected him as the No.6 pick. But poor Shedeur! He hardly knew how the universe would hand out a big, bitter surprise to him. The Buffs quarterback did not hear his name called out in the 2025 NFL Draft until Round 5. Perhaps his biggest heartbreak came when he was snubbed by the Las Vegas Raiders. After all, he has been in GOAT Tom Brady’s good books, who is the minority owner [5%] of the $6.7 billion NFL giant. This did not sit well with analyst Skip Bayless, who put Brady in the hot seat. 

Was Shedeur’s fate a result of Papa Prime’s overprotective nature for his son? As one NFL executive said, “Some of the things his dad said, I think that weighed on people’s minds.” The Hall-of-Famer dad had a clear picture of what the teams were that he did not want Shedeur to consider. But in this case, the Raiders passed the quality test of Deion. In that case, it must have been more disappointing. The Las Vegas Raiders, like the rest of the NFL, repeatedly passed on Shedeur. In that case, the quarterback would have gladly accepted Yate’s prediction of him going to the Raiders as the No.6 pick. At least it would have been far better than falling to No. 144.

Now, Shedeur’s rollercoaster journey was taken up by the NFL Draft specialist on his The Skip Bayless Show on May 8. This man has been covering the NFL for almost 50 years. So you need to buckle up when it’s coming from him. As he said, “Shedeur Sanders became the most debatable player by far in this draft.” Bayless then tracked the quarterback’s journey. “I said he was the best quarterback from the start before the college football season started. Mel Kiper, ranked Shedeur, fifth overall, one slot ahead of Cam Ward.” But somehow he lived by the hope that something would help the young chap float in the rough sea. That’s his bond with the 7x Super Bowl winner, Brady. The GOAT began mentoring Shedeur during his tenure with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. 

The quarterback even signed an NIL deal with Brady’s apparel brand when he was at Jackson State. On that note, Bayless ripped Brady. “Nobody out there outside of Shedeur’s family knows his game and his nature his tangibles and his intangibles better than Tom Brady.” So, the analyst can’t believe, “Nobody in the Raiders organization at any point in time before the draft said, ‘Hey Tom what’s your opinion of Shedeur?’…The Raiders would be fools if they didn’t ask you your opinion of Shedeur. You said no to Shadur because they did pass him seven straight times.” The Raiders acquired Geno Smith, who will turn 35 next season. Well, Tom Brady did not sit idly and let the accusations pass through just like that. 

Tom Brady takes a stand for himself amidst the Shedeur Sanders snub hoopla

Going back to Shedeur’s early college days at Jackson State University, the two developed a mentor/mentee bond. So, while his old student landed in Cleveland, Brady could feel what the quarterback must have gone through. After all, he himself was drafted late in the process. Brady was selected as the 199th pick in the 2000 NFL Draft. That’s what made the GOAT pick up his phone and send a message in Shedeur’s way to lift up his spirits.

Quoting the 7x Super Bowl champ, he wrote, “Dude, whatever happens, wherever you go, that’s your first day. Day 2 matters more than the draft. I was 199. So who can speak on it better than me? Like what that really means. Use it as motivation, you’re going to get your chances and go take advantage of it.” So, this was for Shedeur. And what about the college football world that is dragging Brady through the mud for snubbing their favorite quarterback? He had an answer for them, too. 

“I wasn’t a part of any evaluation process. … That’s the problem with media is everyone can just say whatever the f— they want and get away with it,” disclosed Tom Brady on the Impaulsive Podcast. If the Las Vegas Raiders are to be blamed, Cleveland, too, should fall into the blame game. After all, the Browns passed on Shedeur Sanders six times. The disrespect may have lit a fire that leads to a breakout season for the ex-Buffs quarterback star.