Deion Sanders Thanks Mel Kiper Jr. for Backing Shedeur as QB1 During 2025 NFL Draft

Perhaps nobody advocated more for Shedeur Sanders during the 2025 NFL draft than ESPN broadcaster Mel Kiper Jr., and the Cleveland Browns rookie's famous father appreciated the support.

Colorado head coach Deion Sanders took to social media Thursday and thanked Kiper for backing his son and quarterback during the coverage:

Sanders' post comes after Kiper faced plenty of scrutiny for how he covered the draft.

Brett McMurphy of The Action Network added some context to the situation:

Sanders falling to the fifth round before the Cleveland Browns took him ended up becoming the biggest storyline of the draft, and Kiper's coverage only added to the headlines. As Chris Bumbaca of USA Today noted, the ESPN analyst said he couldn't hide his "disgust" with the fall.

It even led to some back and forth on the ESPN set between Kiper, Rece Davis and Louis Riddick, with Kiper going as far as calling the NFL "clueless for 50 years when it comes to evaluating quarterbacks."

While Kiper was perhaps the most vocal, it should be noted he wasn't the only one who thought highly of Sanders. Plenty of prognosticators expected him to be a first- or second-round pick. B/R's NFL Scouting Department ranked him as the second-best quarterback behind No. 1 overall pick Cam Ward.

But teams in the NFL clearly felt differently about the Colorado product, as evidenced by his slide. 

At least Sanders can take solace knowing he has an opportunity to play for immediate playing time in Cleveland given an uninspiring quarterback room that also includes an injured Deshaun Watson, Joe Flacco, Kenny Pickett and fellow rookie Dillon Gabriel.