As the 2025 NFL Draft kicks off Thursday night at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, one of the most talked-about names in college football won’t be in attendance.
Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders, the son of Hall of Famer Deion Sanders, has turned down his invitation to the event, and at least one sports personality thinks he knows exactly why.
According to veteran commentator Skip Bayless, Shedeur‘s decision wasn’t just about privacy or preference-it was a move to avoid the public spectacle that can sometimes turn humiliating. On Wednesday’s episode of The Skip Bayless Show, Bayless offered his theory on Sanders’ absence, suggesting the quarterback wants no part in a potentially embarrassing draft-night slide.
“I am still convinced that Shedeur has declined that invitation… because he’s just sick and tired of all the endless negativity,” Bayless said. “And he doesn’t want to be stuck in the ‘green room’ getting shamed on national TV if he falls all the way through the first round as some are predicting he will.”
The memory of Rodgers
The “green room” drama is a familiar narrative in NFL history. Most notably, Aaron Rodgers experienced a painful slide in the 2005 NFL Draft, remaining in the green room for hours before being selected 24th overall by the Green Bay Packers.
The visual of a highly touted player sitting in solitude, surrounded by cameras and a slowly emptying room, is not an image many prospects want tied to their legacy.
For Sanders, the possibility of being snubbed in the first round has only grown more real in recent weeks.
Once regarded as a potential top-10 pick, recent evaluations by scouts and analysts have pushed Sanders into a murkier part of the draft board, with projections placing him anywhere from the late first round to mid-second round.
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