Shedeur Sanders historic NFL Draft drama ignites heated racial debates: 'feels like Kaepernick'

Shedeur Sanders leaned on prayer and faith during this historic NFL Draft slide. 

But some of his supporters leaned into something else. 

ESPN star host Stephen A. Smith helped to stir, whether intentionally or not, a heated debate about the role of race in Sanders' draft drama. 

Smith revealed a text message from an associate who compared the situation to Colin Kaepernick being out of the NFL since 2016 after his infamous kneels during the national anthem, in an X post. And Smith agreed with the comparison.