The Raiders had several chances Friday to end what has become the biggest storyline of the NFL draft.

But like the other 31 teams, they passed on drafting Shedeur Sanders, the polarizing former Colorado star quarterback, in the second and third rounds.

The son of Hall of Fame cornerback and current Colorado coach Deion Sanders was viewed as the second-best quarterback prospect in the draft and an almost certain first-round pick.

Yet he has not been among the five quarterbacks selected after three rounds of the draft, which concludes Saturday with the final four rounds beginning at 9 a.m.

The Raiders were connected to Sanders entering the draft, largely based on the team’s need for a developmental quarterback and Sanders’ long-standing relationship with minority owner Tom Brady.

Brady has worked out with and mentored Sanders over the years, and his TB12 brand signed Sanders to a name, image and likeness deal in 2022.

Sanders also took a top-30 prospect visit to the Raiders’ team facility in Henderson.

But after passing on him as expected with the No. 6 overall pick Thursday, the Raiders made four selections Friday without choosing a quarterback. They were also on the clock two other times only to trade out of the pick.

The Raiders have six picks Saturday, beginning with the sixth selection of the fourth round.

General manager John Spytek said the team has discussed drafting a quarterback despite trading for veteran Geno Smith and signing him to an extension.

“We continue to maintain that we’re always considering every position, especially quarterback,” Spytek said Friday after the third round. “So far, it hasn’t fallen our way with the evaluations we’ve had, but we’ll continue to do that with these six picks going forward.”

Five quarterbacks have come off the board ahead of Sanders.

Miami’s Cam Ward was the top overall pick by the Titans on Thursday, followed by the Giants trading up to No. 25 to take Mississippi’s Jaxson Dart.

The Saints took Louisville’s Tyler Shough in the second round Friday. Alabama’s Jalen Milroe (Seahawks) and Oregon’s Dillon Gabriel (Browns) were picked in the third round.

Sanders’ slide has consumed much of the draft coverage on ESPN and NFL Network, with the outlets receiving criticism online for the amount of airtime dedicated to his plight.

Conspiracy theories also have started to circulate on social media about a leaguewide plot to control the growing power of college athletes by making an example of Sanders.

The exact reasoning is unlikely to be known until after the draft, but rumors started circulating this week about teams experiencing bad interviews with Sanders.

There are also on-field questions about his arm strength and athleticism, as well as a habit of holding on to the ball for too long. But those don’t appear to be enough to explain falling so far down the board, especially behind less productive passers.

Sanders appeared to be the victim of a hoax call Friday aimed to make him think he was being drafted.

Contact Adam Hill at [email protected]. Follow @AdamHillLVRJ on X.