Ken Blaze-Imagn Images

Ice Cube was stunned by Shedeur Sanders' draft slide, says Deion rumors hurt

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Jeff Hauser | Last updated May 21, 2025 7:49 AM ET

Former Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders was expected to be one of the first names off the board in the 2025 NFL Draft. However, the Day 3 pick of the Cleveland Browns has become the talk of the offseason.

Sanders shockingly slid to the fifth round (144th overall), leaving many to wonder why he was passed on? A vocal supporters of Sanders and his family is dedicated Las Vegas Raiders fan Ice Cube. The rapper was asked his feelings about the team skipping Shedeur while on the Skip Bayless Show, and he didn’t hold back his disappointment.

“It did bother me," Ice Cube said. "I wanted him. But I understand, you know, I could see from a coach’s point of view why not to take him." He went on to say, "You take him, you don’t have a good season or two, Deion is getting your job. He’s definitely not a fifth round pick.”

Ice Cube added to the theory that NFL coaches may have been wary of drafting Shedeur because of his father lurking in the background. If things didn’t go well, ownership could be tempted to fire the coach and bring in Coach Prime for a run in the NFL.

Ice Cube believes head coaches didn't want to draft Shedeur because if the team struggled, Deion would take their job pic.twitter.com/bViO1Bbj3U
— Skip Bayless (@RealSkipBayless) May 17, 2025

Deion Sanders expressed interest in the Dallas Cowboys' job this offseason, but ultimately stayed at Colorado to become the highest-paid coach in the Big 12. He seems locked in for the foreseeable future. But will that last if the Buffs put together another strong season with a new set of playmakers?

For now, Shedeur tries to work his way up the depth chart and prove to every team that passed on him was wrong.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: