Michael Irvin shares eight-figure cost NFL ‘robbed’ Colorado Buffaloes football legend Shedeur Sanders of at draft

Shedeur Sanders’ unprecedented draft slide has dominated NFL headlines since the Colorado football legend went to the Cleveland Browns in the fifth round of the NFL Draft. The former Buffaloes quarterback was projected to go in the first or second round in virtually every mock draft, making his slide to the No. 144 pick a great shock for football fans.

Sanders was the Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year last season, running Colorado’s offense under the tutelage of his dad, Deion. Coach Prime’s enigmatic presence and controversial involvement in Shedeur’s pre-draft preparation seemed to rub many teams the wrong way.

Former Hall-of-Fame receiver and current NFL commentator Michael Irvin voiced strong opinions on the league’s decision to let Shedeur slip to the fifth round. The Dallas Cowboys legend believes the league robbed Shedeur of the money he deserved.

“You just robbed this young man of $50 million,” Irvin said. “And it wasn't on his playing ability. Shame on you."

Irvin’s suspicions that the league intentionally let Shedeur slide could be accurate, but there were pre-draft factors that may justify the slide in the eyes of many. For starters, Shedeur reportedly sandbagged his pre-draft meetings with teams he didn’t have interest in playing for. 

These reports hinted at a lack of humility and professionalism from Shedeur leading up to the draft. In addition, the 23-year-old signal-caller reportedly spent $1 million on his draft celebration party. 

Deion’s premature Colorado jersey retirement of Shedeur and former teammate Travis Hunter also sparked negative feedback from fans and media, given the extreme recency of Shedeur’s college career and the undermining of certain CU legends who have not seen their jerseys retired. Deion reportedly broke Colorado athletics protocol to make the jersey retirement happen, reinforcing the negative attention Shedeur has received for his dad’s presence as a whole.

Despite the controversial nature of Shedeur and his father, Irvin doubled down on his disgust with the NFL for its alleged robbery of the Buffaloes icon.

“The $50 million robbery of Shedeur Sanders … that’s what I just witnessed,” Irvin said. “Everywhere we’ve seen, everything we’ve seen, everybody that has seen him knows … he’s No. 1 or 2 in this draft.”

Only time will tell if Shedeur can make a name for himself in Cleveland and prove the haters wrong.