Shedeur Sanders Reacts to First Round Slide in 2025 NFL Draft: «Fuel to the Fire»
Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders, widely projected as a top quarterback prospect in the 2025 NFL Draft, was surprisingly not selected during the first round on Thursday night. Despite many analysts predicting he would be the second quarterback off the board behind Miami’s Cam Ward and a 96% chance according to ESPN’s draft predictor of being picked by the Pittsburgh Steelers at No. 21 or sooner, Sanders watched as teams passed on him.
The New Orleans Saints, a team reportedly with a good pre-draft relationship with Sanders, opted for Texas offensive tackle Kelvin Banks Jr. at No. 9. Later, the Steelers chose a defensive player at No. 21, and the New York Giants were the only team to select a quarterback after the top picks, trading up to No. 25 for Ole Miss’ Jaxson Dart.
Sanders addressed his unexpected slide in a video posted on his brother’s YouTube channel. «We all didn’t expect this of course, but I feel like with God anything is possible, everything is possible,» Sanders said. «I don’t feel like this happened for no reason. All this is is of course fuel to the fire. Under no circumstance we all know this shouldn’t have happened. We’re onto bigger and better things. Tomorrow is the day, we’re going to be happy regardless.»
Footage from Sanders’ draft camp showed his father and coach, Deion Sanders, shaking his head in apparent disbelief after the Saints’ selection.
Looking ahead, the Cleveland Browns hold the first pick of Friday’s second round at No. 33 overall and are known to be in the market for a quarterback.
ESPN’s Booger McFarland offered a potential explanation for Sanders’ slide during the broadcast, suggesting, «People get wowed with the off-platform throws, Sanders plays point guard from the pocket and maybe they’re not valuing that in the first round.»
However, according to NFL Media’s Tom Pelissero, concerns regarding Sanders’ coachability and demeanor arose during multiple conversations with league personnel. An anonymous NFL assistant coach reportedly gave a scathing assessment, stating, «The worst formal interview I’ve ever been in in my life. He’s so entitled. He takes unnecessary sacks. He never plays on time. He has horrible body language. He blames teammates. … But the biggest thing is, he’s not that good.»
These reports of teams being «turned off» during the interview process seemingly contributed to Sanders’ draft stock falling in various mock drafts leading up to the first round. Sanders was reportedly labeled «unprofessional» and «disinterested» during meetings with multiple teams within the top seven picks. This comes despite Sanders’ impressive 2024 season performance, which was a key factor in Colorado’s resurgence. The football world now awaits to see where Shedeur Sanders will land in the remaining rounds of the 2025 NFL Draft.