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When quarterback prospect Shedur Sanders fell from the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft, it wasn't considered a complete shock, but some people couldn't believe he was chosen for the organization.
However, the response was pure shock to see three quarterbacks not named Sanders come out of the draft board on Friday night.
The Colorado Buffalo quarterback Sanders, who was a finalist in this Heisman Trophy in past college seasons, is available for the third and final days of the NFL Draft. With 102 prospects off the board and with round four starting at noon in Green Bay, everyone is wondering which NFL team in Sanders will eventually pull the trigger.
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Colorado quarterback Shedure Sanders watches drills at the NFL Football Scouting Combine in Indianapolis on Saturday, March 1, 2025. (AP photo/Michael Conroy)
Surprise and shock may not even be the term to describe a draft board this fall. It's probably the biggest thing we've seen in recent memory for anyone who thinks it's at least a second day's choice.
Why is this happening for Sanders? Including ESPN's Booger McFarland, it's a matter of everyone's mind, and I think the answer lies beyond the tape.
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“It has to be more than football,” he said during the NFL Draft broadcast on the network. “He's the best pure passerby you can draft. When you start seeing developmental projects like Jalen Milroe and Dillon Gabriel, and there's nothing for those guys, but they're not the players that Chedure Sanders is.
Tyler Schaff (New Orleans Saints), Milllaw (Seattle Seahawks) and Gabriel (Cleveland Browns) were each selected in their respective order on Friday night. In particular, Gabriel was the icing on the cake for those who were confused by how Sanders wasn't off the board.
Mel Kiper Jr., a longtime NFL draft analyst at ESPN, has given up on Sanders' talent, ranking the best-rated prospects on his big board. He was speaking out about Sanders putting it out from the first round of Thursday night, but he was applauded at what happened the next day.
“I don't like that,” he said in a long rant after the second day came. “I don't know what the hell is going on with this…someone will have to explain it to me.”
Joel Klatt, who called out several Fox Sports' past college season Buffaloes games, saw first-hand what Sanders could do for the football program.
Colorado quarterback Shedur Sanders (2) will throw a pass against Central Florida in Orlando, Florida on Saturday, September 28, 2024. (AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack, file)
During the NFL Network broadcast, Krat points his finger to the story built about Sanders during the pre-draft process, about why he's slipping.
“Chedur represents everything I hate about the NFL Draft, and that's just one thing. It's a story. It's built up, lazy and very frankly, when it comes out as an anonymous source about the meeting you had, I don't think you think he wanted when he was walking through your room.
“Chedur Sanders will be a good quarterback in the National Football League. I think he's trying to make his head coach and fan base very happy.
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At the same time, Klatt feels that this is the time Sanders reflects, as he feels that it's not the tape that is causing this free fall.
“His play on the field would suggest that he should have already been chosen,” Kratt explained. “We had some quarterbacks, and their play on the field probably wouldn’t guarantee his choice to play on the field.
“The reason he wasn't drafted at this point is because he was sitting with those teams and for some reason he wasn't with Gel.”
It's not just analysts who have an opinion on Sanders' draft situation. Even President Donald Trump jumped into the mix to say how crazy it was.
“What's wrong with the NFL owners, are they stupid? Sanders is a great college football player and even bigger in the NFL. He was also a smart, very good coach at Streetwise!
ESPN host Stephen A. Smith called it “damn dishonor.” Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton has already won a young quarterback after winning the Bonnix in the first round last year, and even X's Buffalo football account posted a highlight of Sanders worth ten minutes.
These reactions are just the tip of the iceberg as the world of football is now available for Sanders heading into the fourth round on Saturday.
Colorado quarterback Shedur Sanders will speak at a press conference at the NFL Football Scouting Combine in Indianapolis on Friday, February 28th, 2025. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)
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After the final pick in Round 3, Sanders was posted to X, surrounded by friends and family at home, including his father and Colorado coach Deion Sanders.
“Thank you to God for everything,” he wrote.
Of teams looking for a potential new quarterback on the depth chart, the Pittsburgh Steelers, considered a round 1 and 3 option, remain at the forefront, just like the Las Vegas Raiders.
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