2 weeks Ago
At the start of the NFL Draft on Thursday, it seemed highly unlikely that Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders wouldn’t be a first-round pick.It was unfathomable that he would go into Saturday without knowing his future.After two days and three rounds, however, Sanders has yet to be selected in what arguably could be the most stunning slide in NFL Draft history.
Related ArticlesFormer CU Buffs star Travis Hunter: Jaguars made ‘the best decision’ in drafting him No. 2 overallStunner: CU Buffs’ Shedeur Sanders not selected in first round of NFL DraftCU Buffs star Travis Hunter selected No. 2 in the NFL Draft by Jacksonville JaguarsCU Buffs football: Offensive lineman Zack Owens enters transfer portalA look at some CU Buffs history in the NFL DraftOn Friday night, three quarterbacks were drafted, but Sanders, who was without question the most scrutinized and polarizing player in the draft, was not among them.
The fourth round will begin at 10 a.m. MT on Saturday, followed by rounds five through seven.
“I’m just disgusted. It’s all I can say,” ESPN draft analyst Mel Kiper Jr., who had Sanders as the No.
1 quarterback and No. 5 overall player on his board going into the draft, said at the end of the ESPN broadcast Friday night.A second-team Associated Press All-American, Big 12 offensive player of the year and winner of the Johnny United Golden Arm Award as the nation’s top quarterback, Sanders was almost universally considered as one of the two best quarterbacks in the draft, along with Miami’s Cam Ward (who was selected No.
1 overall by Tennessee).Although this year’s quarterback class was not as strong as in 2024, when six went in the top 12 picks, Sanders was widely projected as a top-five or top-10 pick. ESPN projected a 97% chance he would be selected in the first round.
In the days leading up to the draft, however, many experts believed Sanders’ stock had dropped and it certainly did – even more so than anyone could have imagined.Like other top-rated QB prospects in previous years, Sanders declined to throw or go through workouts at the NFL Combine, choosing instead to focus on interviews with teams. He also didn’t participate at the Big 12 pro day.
His decision to not participate was heavily criticized, but he did throw at CU’s pro day earlier this month.During the draft process, national pundits critiqued Sanders’ game more so than any other prospect, while some questioned his character. Most of the character questions have come from anonymous sources.
Most recently, there were quotes this week from anonymous NFL personnel criticizing Sanders’ performance in interviews with teams.Whatever the reasons, Sanders’ slide down and out of the first round was one of the biggest stories of the draft on Thursday night, especially after the New York Giants traded back into the first round to take Ole Miss quarterback Jaxson Dart at No. 25.
Where Sanders would land continued to be the hot topic of the draft going into Friday. So big, in fact, that President Donald Trump weighed in, posting on social media: “What is wrong with NFL owners, are they STUPID? Deion Sanders was a great college football player, and was even greater in the NFL. He’s also a very good coach, streetwise and smart! Therefore, Shedeur, his quarterback son, has PHENOMENAL GENES, and is all set for Greatness.
He should be “picked” IMMEDIATELY by a team that wants to WIN. Good luck Shedeur, and say hello to your wonderful father!”As the second round began, Sanders watched as the quarterback-needy Cleveland Browns, who passed on him at No. 5 overall, had two of the first four picks of the night, at No.
33 and No. 36, and went elsewhere.Then, at No.
40 overall, the New Orleans Saints went with a quarterback, but chose Louisville’s Tyler Shough, who had one healthy season in seven years of college football with three schools, earning All-ACC honorable mention last year. Shough was the only quarterback selected in the second round.The first 27 picks of the third round went by without another quarterback being selected.
Then, the Seattle Seahawks traded up to No. 92 to take Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe. Two picks later, at No.
94, the Browns selected Oregon QB Dillon Gabriel.By the end of Friday night, 102 players had been selected, and Sanders will go into Saturday’s fourth round still waiting to hear his name.“On the field, Shedeur Sanders is a day one or day two selection,” analyst Field Yates said on SportsCenter after the third round.
“This is a four-year starter who took two separate programs to unprecedented heights, extremely experienced, throws with great touch and accuracy, helped elevate the profile of other wide receivers beyond just Travis Hunter.”Hunter, CU’s star receiver/cornerback who won the Heisman Trophy last year, was the No. 2 pick by the Jacksonville Jaguars on Thursday.
Yates had Sanders at No. 16 on his draft board.“It only leads me to believe that teams maybe are less comfortable with some of the stuff that comes into the intangibles department for Shedeur Sanders, and frankly, I’m not sure that’s justified,” Yates said.
“I understand that (CU head coach) Deion Sanders (is his father), and there’s a lot of attention being paid to him being the son of one of the most notable athletes that we have seen in the history of professional sports. But frankly, I’m stunned. I don’t have a good explanation for why Shedeur Sanders has not heard his name called.
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I am truly perplexed by why the situation has gotten to the point that we are now in.”.
