Racial bias may have shaped Shedeur Sanders' draft
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Shedeur Sanders throws a pass during Cleveland Browns rookie mini camp at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on May 10 in Berea, Ohio. Photo: Nick Cammett/Getty Images
Racial stereotypes and coded language in the media coverage of Shedeur Sanders ahead of the 2025 NFL draft may have shaped the public perception of his draft value, if not the outcome itself, a University of Colorado professor tells Axios.
Why it matters: Black NFL players, especially quarterbacks, still face persistent stereotypes that can influence how their talent is evaluated.
Catch up quick: Sanders, widely projected as a first- or early-second-round draft pick, fell to the fifth round.
- He was the sixth quarterback selected overall — and the second taken by the Cleveland Browns.
Between the lines: Pat Ferrucci, a media professor at CU who researches racial bias in NFL coverage, told Axios Boulder that pre-draft narratives around Sanders were laced with coded language and rooted in longstanding stereotypes of Black quarterbacks.
- Coded language refers to terms that carry hidden, often negative, meanings about specific groups — like calling a Black quarterback "arrogant" while a white counterpart is praised as "confident."
- "I think there is a difference in the way that Black quarterbacks who are a little more outspoken are covered compared to Black quarterbacks who are not outspoken, and especially between Black quarterbacks who are outspoken and white quarterbacks who are outspoken," Ferrucci said.
Similar traits that reportedly caused Sanders to fall to a later round were interpreted more positively for white quarterbacks in the past, Ferrucci noted.
- The Cleveland Browns' recent draft history includes instances — including Johnny Manziel and Baker Mayfield — when white quarterbacks with perceived attitude or off-field concerns were still praised as "alpha competitors" or drafted early.
The idea that Shedeur Sanders had to "stay humble" was something Ferrucci keyed in on from the 2025 draft coverage, calling it "condescending."
Meanwhile, criticism extended to his father, CU head coach Deion Sanders, with some pundits calling the hype, attention and discussion surrounding the family a "circus."
- Ferrucci said the perception of Deion Sanders as a detriment to his son's draft stock may stem from racialized narratives surrounding outspoken Black public figures.
The other side: NFL analysts who argued race wasn't a factor pointed to the last three No. 1 overall picks being Black quarterbacks.
- Sanders' draft fall was traced largely to his team interviews, with reporters saying his interaction with New York Giants officials was especially poor.
- Some NFL analysts asserted he was never first-round material and that his hype was largely a creation of the media and his high-profile father.
- Reality check: The Giants sent scouts to every Buffs game, and the Browns' owner attended CU's April pro showcase — signs the teams held at least some interest.
The bottom line: Ferrucci said that systemic bias, even subtly, can influence how individual prospects like Shedeur Sanders are perceived, regardless of overall trends.
- Though media coverage is separate from the draft itself, Ferrucci noted that storylines repeated often enough can sometimes be taken as fact by teams, especially as teams try to place young men into neat boxes for evaluation.
What we're watching: As coverage of high-profile Black athletes evolves, analysts and media scholars warn that implicit bias — even in tone or word choice — can shape how talent is perceived and evaluated.