NFL Draft 2025: Ryan Clark Says Shedeur Sanders Is Being Judged By His Skin Color

Shedeur Sanders has been perhaps the most discussed and polarizing figure during the 2025 NFL Draft process. The former Colorado quarterback is one of the top two prospects at his position this year, and where exactly he’ll be selected is still a question mark with just over a month left until Round 1.

Ryan Clark Says Sanders’ Skin Color Will Affect His NFL Status

There are reports that some teams have concerns about character issues with Sanders, in addition to any limitations that he has on the football field. He is viewed by some as cocky and perhaps even arrogant, and those notions seemed to hold true during his interviews at the recent NFL Combine. Will they keep him from being one of the top five picks in the upcoming selection process?

ESPN analyst Ryan Clark believes so, and thinks that the color of Sanders’ skin is a reason why his draft stock is brought into question. Clark had the following to say on First Take on Wednesday:

“It’s not just about him being Deion Sanders’ son. It’s about the bravado he carries. It’s about the fact that he looks a certain way. It is about the fact that the color of his skin sometimes at that position can be questioned. And I believe Shedeur Sanders is going to have to deal with that until he gets on the field.”

Clark’s comments are interesting given the timing. There was certainly a time when playing quarterback was primarily done by white men, and it wasn’t long ago that black quarterbacks were seen as dual threat talents and rarely anything more.

Wild: Ryan Clark says Shedeur Sanders is under fire from critics because of the color of his skin:

“It’s not just about him being Deion Sanders’ son. It’s about the bravado he carries. It’s about the fact that he looks a certain way. It is about the fact that the color of his… pic.twitter.com/LiyISK7LPv

— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) March 12, 2025

But the game has certainly changed, and some of the most successful quarterbacks in recent history have been black. The most recent Super Bowl was won by a black quarterback (Jalen Hurts). Patrick Mahomes is arguably the top quarterback in the league. Lamar Jackson has two NFL MVPs to his name. Three of the four starting quarterbacks in the 2025 AFC and NFC Championship games were black.

Skin color hasn’t seemed to affect the other top quarterback prospect, either. Cam Ward is projected by many to be the top overall selection in this year’s draft, and is almost guaranteed to be picked in the top-3.

Shedeur’s father was polarizing in his own day, which some believe has rubbed off on his son. Deion was selected by the Atlanta Falcons with the 5th overall pick in the 1989 NFL Draft.