Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders was not selected in Thursday’s first round of the NFL Draft.
It was quite the draft day slide for Sanders, who was widely believed to be a potential target for QB-needy teams picking at No. 3 (Giants), No. 9 (Saints) or No. 21 (Steelers).
The Giants even traded back into the first round Thursday night – they sent the 34th pick and a third-rounder next year to the Houston Texans to move up to No. 25, according to ESPN – only to draft Ole Miss quarterback Jaxson Dart.
Dart became the second quarterback off the board after Miami quarterback Cam Ward went No. 1 overall to the Tennessee Titans.
"We all didn't expect this, of course," said Sanders in a video posted to social media. "We all know this shouldn't have happened, but we understand we're onto bigger and better things... We're going to be happy regardless."
Sanders said this will only be "fuel to the fire."
Shedeur Sanders - @DenverChannel https://t.co/1iB0qdq2Xh
— Lionel Bienvenu (@lionelbienvenu) April 25, 2025
As is custom being the son of Colorado head coach and Pro Football Hall of Famer Deion Sanders, the junior Sanders has been among the most buzzed-about players this NFL Draft season. He’s widely regarded as one of the top quarterbacks in this class – and was one of the college game’s most accurate passers – but has been polarizing. While some talent evaluators believe he was the top QB prospect on the board, others have raised questions about everything from arm strength to attitude.
The final evaluations of the flashy former Buff appeared to have hurt his draft stock. In the final two days before the draft, reports surfaced of an anonymous NFL coach criticizing Sanders for being “entitled” and “not that good.”
Sanders may not need to wait long to hear his name called Friday. The Cleveland Browns, another team with a lot of questions at the quarterback position, holds two of the first four picks of the second round. New Orleans has the eighth pick in the second round.
