Mel Kiper Jr offers verdict on Shedeur Sanders NFL Draft backlash after he called QB’s slide ‘disgusting’

Mel Kiper Jr offers verdict on Shedeur Sanders NFL Draft backlash after he called QB's slide 'disgusting'

Other than Shedeur Sanders himself, it’s possible no person was more upset about the pᴀsser’s shocking slide to the fifth round of the NFL Draft than ESPN analyst Mel Kiper Jr.

As Sanders – who Kiper ranked as his No. 1 quarterback prospect in the Draft – waited until the 144th pick to be selected, Kiper railed against the league’s GMs for pᴀssing on him.

The longtime Draft analyst spent much of his airtime harping on Sanders’ slide, at one point calling it ‘nonsensical’ before saying he was ‘disgusted’ at the end of the Draft’s second day.

That consistent attention on Sanders led to Kiper becoming a trending topic on X – with many fans criticizing his on-air work – though Kiper was hardly aware of the backlash in real time.

‘I didn’t even know about it… I don’t know what they said, I gotta believe it wasn’t nice,’ Kiper said Monday on The Adam Schefter Podcast. ‘I didn’t read one of them, but I was told I was trending over Shedeur Sanders.’

Kiper then laid out a rather unlikely plan for Sanders’ football career. 

Shedeur Sanders fell all the way into the fifth round during the NFL Draft last weekend

Shedeur Sanders fell all the way into the fifth round during the NFL Draft last weekend

And Mel Kiper Jr. was furious about the quarterback's slide, calling it 'disgusting'

And Mel Kiper Jr. was furious about the quarterback’s slide, calling it ‘disgusting’

Mel Kiper Jr. with his biggest Shedeur Sanders rant yet after the Seahawks draft Jalen Milroe in the third round. #NFL #NFLDraft pic.twitter.com/LDljNhsoMC

— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) April 26, 2025

‘I said it when he was drafted, maybe he’ll go into the UFL or CFL… maybe he should do that to prove to these guys he can play. I don’t know what’s gonna happen there.’

Aside from the money he’s lost by falling to the fifth round, Sanders will enter a crowded quarterbacks room in Cleveland.

The team already had (an injured) Deshaun Watson, Joe Flacco and Kenny Pickett before also selecting Oregon quarterback Dillon Gabriel in the third round on Friday.

Nonetheless, after Sanders was finally selected, Kiper offered an impᴀssioned prediction for how his NFL career will turn out.

Read MoreBREAKING NEWS NFL to take action over brutal draft moment that saw Shedeur Sanders’ dreams crushed article image

‘He’s gonna be a hell of a quarterback in this league, and he will cause a lot of sleepless nights and a lot of anguish for the teams that pᴀssed on him,’ Kiper said.

For his part, Sanders also sounded determined to show why he should’ve been taken higher.

‘I’ve just got to prove and show what I’m capable of,’ Sanders told local media after he was picked. ‘But what fuels me is my purpose in life and understanding the route that we’re going to have to take. 

‘Understanding that I was able to get an opportunity when a lot of people didn’t want to give me an opportunity. So that’s what I’m truly thankful for. So that’s what fuels me.’ 

Related Posts

Aaron Rodgers was ‘isolated and dismissive’ during tense labor talks, ex-union chief writes in scathing memoir

Aaron Rodgers was ‘isolated and dismissive’ during tense labor talks, ex-union chief writes in scathing memoir

Aaron Rodgers was ‘isolated and dismissive’ in union meetings and made a dramatic departure from one after expelling a loud groan, according to former NFL Players ᴀssociation…

Giants star Malik Nabers is left visibly frightened during in-car interview with NASCAR legend Dale Earnhardt Jr.

Giants star Malik Nabers is left visibly frightened during in-car interview with NASCAR legend Dale Earnhardt Jr.

New York Giants star Malik Nabers was left visibly frightened during long stretches of his in-car interview with NASCAR legend Dale Earnhardt Jr. while roaring around a…

Travis Hunter and wife Leanna Lenee show off behind the scenes footage of lavish Turks and Caicos honeymoon

Travis Hunter and wife Leanna Lenee show off behind the scenes footage of lavish Turks and Caicos honeymoon

Over a month after marrying his longtime girlfriend, Travis Hunter and wife Leanna Lenee showed off their lavish accommodations in Turks and Caicos for their honeymoon.  Lenee…

Ex-NFLPA head DeMaurice Smith calls out ‘isolated and dismissive’ Aaron Rodgers in new book

Ex-NFLPA head DeMaurice Smith calls out ‘isolated and dismissive’ Aaron Rodgers in new book

DeMaurice Smith had a lot on his plate as the head of the NFL Players ᴀssociation from 2009-23, and Aaron Rodgers didn’t make Smith’s job any easier….

Humiliated Travis Kelce names the ‘worst thing I ever did’ during his career

Humiliated Travis Kelce names the ‘worst thing I ever did’ during his career

Travis Kelce has claimed that his now-infamous dating show ‘Catching Kelce’ is the ‘worst thing’ that he’s ever done in his career.  Kelce was just 25 when…

Kansas City Chiefs icon finally retires after 375 NFL games

Kansas City Chiefs icon finally retires after 375 NFL games

Dan Meers, who has been inside the ‘KC Wolf’ mascot costume for the Kansas City Chiefs for the last 35 years is hanging up his headgear. Meers…