Why, Lord? Why? Colorado Buffaloes fans must be feeling the despair. They’ve certainly seen enough when it comes to their quarterback, Shedeur Sanders‘ draft prospects. From once being seen as the potential No. 1 pick to facing “red flags,” Shedeur’s journey to the pro league has seen a fair share of ups and downs. And it looks like those worries aren’t over yet. With the 2025 NFL Draft right around the corner, Shedeur’s draft stock has taken another dip, so you can only imagine what the 23-year-old is going through. That’s when basketball star Kyrie Irving stepped in with a three-word message to lift Shedeur’s spirits.

Poor Shedeur! He definitely put in the work. He was sacked a college football record 52 times in 2023 and 42 times in 2024. The only possible blemish on his resume, perhaps. Cut to 2024, the Buffs’ QB led college football with a 74% completion percentage. That’s when analysts targeted his off-field antics.

Shedeur was placed behind Miami Hurricanes quarterback Cam Ward. The big reason? As reported by NFL Rookie Watch, “Some NFL teams are reportedly ‘concerned’ that Sanders isn’t solely focused on football, but rather his rap career and creating a personality out of himself. One anonymous NFL GM reportedly believes there’s ‘red flags’ to Shedeur’s personality between his fiery attitude and the watch flexing.” With this, as per the latest updates, the Buffs QB’s stocks were expected to fall as low as No. 24. But it looks like this is just the beginning, as Shedeur’s first-round dreams are likely to get crushed.

Shedeur Sanders’ Pro Day at Colorado was a bit of a mixed bag—his short throws wobbled but were on target, while his medium and deep balls looked surprisingly sharp, even with the typical Pro Day caveats. Then, on April 4th, he hopped on IG to share his mood with some pics, including one with a Mercedes and others from practice and the Pro Day itself. Soon Dallas Mavericks point guard Kyrie Irving dropped some kind words in the comment section to make Shedeur feel better. “Keep going brother 🤞🏾♾🤞🏾.” Well, Deion’s son is in dire need of some positive juice to sip on! Earlier the Cleveland Browns and New York Giants came off as Shedeur’s big suitors. However, as per the latest intel, both the NFL giants are potentially skipping out on a Round 1 quarterback.

ESPN’s Adam Schefter came with a seal of approval. “Quarterbacks shape the flow of the NFL Draft more than any other position. Right now, it feels like both Cleveland and New York are leaning away from selecting one at the top.” ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler also carried out an experiment. He hit the high-level personnel with one question:  ‘Do you have a first-round grade on Shedeur Sanders, meaning do you see him as a first-round talent?’ The final result of the poll? Four of them said no, and two said yes. Now, we are yet to figure out how the reality transcends. Meanwhile, Shedeur is blessed with one of the biggest supporters: Irving.  

How Kyrie Irving became Shedeur Sanders’ guiding star

Shedeur has always been a hardcore basketball fan. Back in October, he was spotted at that Liberty versus Aces playoff game in New York. And a clip of the Buffs’ QB chatting with Raiders owner Mark Davis from that game went viral. But beyond that, he also made another connection that sounds like it’ll stick with him for a long time. In one of the episodes of his 2Legendary with Shedeur Sanders podcast, he tagged his meeting with Mavericks star Irving as a “lifelong connection.”

The Buffs QB was impressed with how the 9x All-Star can make a strong impact on not just one’s career but life as a whole. “Kyrie’s a real good guy. He’s somebody that I’m definitely going to talk to week-by-week … he has so much knowledge,” the QB gushed about the basketball star. Already, Shedeur sees Irving as his role model. “He’s done the majority of things I want to do in life so, I feel like surrounding yourself with those type of people and getting knowledge and learning from them will save you a lot of time, save you a lot of money, and save you a lot of mental stress.” Turns out that the love and respect go both ways.

When the world turned against Shedeur Sanders and his NFL journey, Kyrie Irving stood there as a rock of support. “I don’t necessarily agree with all the things that come with fame, but he’s [Sanders] dealt with the attention very well. He is very humble but when he is on that field he is a killer. ” He then added how Shedeur Sanders is a role model for people belonging to Irving’s generation. Snubbed by some, backed by the elite. That’s how Shedeur Sanders is still in the race.