In one of the most shocking moments of the 2025 NFL Draft, quarterback Shedeur Sanders slid not only out of the top 10 but all the way out of the first round.
The former Colorado Buffaloes signal caller had once been predicated to be selected as high as No. 3 but came crashing down to reality Thursday night.
As the Tennessee тιтans went with former Miami quarterback Cam Ward with the top overall pick and the Cleveland Browns traded the No. 2 pick to the Jacksonville Jaguars, who selected his former teammate Travis Hunter, Sanders’ future became more and more uncertain.
As he continued to plummet, Sanders was left facing an anxious wait – one that has now been dragged out until tomorrow after the Pittsburgh Steelers snubbed him at the No. 21 pick.
And as the mystery surrounding the promising quarterback’s drop continues, ESPN’s NFL insider Adam Schefter attempted to shed some light on the situation.
Even before the draft had even begun, Schefter had warned that Sanders, the son of NFL legend and Buffaloes head coach Deion Sanders, could be left on the board.
Quarterback Shedeur Sanders slid out of the first round of the NFL Draft Thursday
The former Colorado Buffaloes star had once been predicated to be selected as high as No. 3
‘We’re not going to hear his name at two, we’re not going to hear his name at three and we’re not going to hear his mane at nine,’ Schefter said on ESPN’s pre-draft show.
‘And then the question becomes, “Will there be a team that trades up into the teens?” which it’s hard to see that right now. We are on a collision course to where he could go down to No. 21 and the Pittsburgh Steelers. And the Steelers would have a decision to make here, and that would dictate so much because we would have seen one quarterback picked.’
Yet, the Steelers’ pick came and went and Sanders was still left undrafted. Pittsburgh, which is without a clear choice for quarterback ahead of the 2025 season, instead selected Oregon defensive tackle Derrick Harmon 21st overall.
With all eyes on the Steelers, Schefter once again attempted to shed some light on the mindset of Pittsburgh’s front office.
‘We know he had a good visit. We know he is now available. We do not know if the Steelers are going to pick him. My understanding is that of yesterday they were going back and forth, is the value worth it. Split in the room,’ he said.
However, Schefter’s prediction that there could only be one quarterback in the first round proved to be inaccurate as the Giants traded back up to take a second pick.
It was believed that Sanders could be on the way to New York. Instead, the Giants went with another quarterback: Ole Miss gunslinger Jaxson Dart.
There had been speculation ahead of the raft that Sanders’ stock had tanked among certain teams.
Quarterback Cam Ward was selected No. 1 overall by the Tennessee тιтans
There had been speculation ahead of the raft that Sanders’ stock had tanked among teams
His character in particular had been targeted following the combine with anonymous team sources branding him ‘brash’ and ‘arrogant’ following interviews.
Concerns about Sanders’ arm strength have become an issue in recent weeks, although his father, Pro Football Hall of Famer Sanders, laughed at that notion.
In 50 collegiate games, Sanders threw for 14,347 yards, with 134 touchdowns and 27 interceptions. He completed 70.1 percent of his pᴀsses and ran for 17 more scores.
Sanders’ skid is akin to that of some other quarterbacks who have watched their position tumble down the pecking order in recent years.
Just a few years ago, Will Levis tumbled down the draft boards after a strong senior year at Kentucky. He was eventually selected in the second round by the тιтans, who are now set to replace him with Ward.
It also mirrors Aaron Rodgers’ tumble in 2005. Projected to be a top selection, Rodgers fell all the way down to 24th overall as Alex Smith was picked first overall.
