Coming into the 2025 NFL Draft, Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders was considered the second-best quarterback in the class. At times, he was mock drafted within the first three picks, following Miami quarterback Cam Ward.
Sanders initially slid past the top five, then past the Saints at No. 9 and the Steelers at No. 21. The Giants traded back in the first round, but it was to select Ole Miss QB Jaxson Dart. All of a sudden the first round ended and Sanders still hadn’t heard his name called. The second round began on Friday night and another quarterback came off the board. It still wasn’t Sanders as New Orleans took Louisville’s Tyler Shough.
📲 Follow The Sporting News on WhatsApp
The second round came to a close and Sanders was still sitting at home waiting to be selected. It has become clear that teams don’t view him as a Year 1 starter, and a prospect who already had plenty of off-the-field distractions with his father now may have to add the mental hit of not being a starter.
As the third round progresses, here are the latest updates on whether or not Sanders has been drafted.
Has Shedeur Sanders been drafted?
The first three rounds of the 2025 NFL Draft have come and gone, and Sanders is still on the board waiting to be drafted.
Five quarterbacks have now come off the board. Alabama’s Jalen Milroe went to Seattle and Cleveland chose to use the 94th pick on Dillon Gabriel.
SN’s NFL DRAFT HQ: Live tracker | Pick-by-pick grades | Best players still available
Why didn’t Raiders draft Shedeur Sanders
Las Vegas needs a quarterback of the future, but they are set for the short-term. The Raiders traded for quarterback Geno Smith from the Seahawks. The veteran only had one year left on his deal, and Las Vegas quick gave him a two-year extension taking him through the 2027 season. The Raiders could certainly still use another quarterback to develop, but they don’t have to use draft capital from the first two days of the draft on the position.
Why didn’t Steelers draft Shedeur Sanders?
We don’t exactly know. Pittsburgh was a popular landing pick for Sanders in the first round. The Steelers decided to go with the best defensive tackle on the board at the time. That move at least made sense because Pittsburgh’s defense got absolutely gashed on the ground down the stretch of the 2024 season. The Steelers are also still in conversation with quarterback Aaron Rodgers. Pittsburgh didn’t have a second-round pick after using theirs to acquire DK Metcalf from Seattle. The Steelers were back on the clock in the third round, but chose to go with a running back who will join Jaylen Warren in likely a backfield committee.
Pittsburgh owner Art Rooney II said in a press conference that if they take a quarterback in the draft, it is not someone that they are planning to have a big impact this season, and the move will be more focused on development.
MORE SHEDEUR SANDERS NEWS:
Why didn’t Browns draft Shedeur Sanders?
Cleveland is in a quarterback predicament. Deshaun Watson is expected to miss the 2025 season because he ruptured his Achilles during the 2024 season and re-ruptured it in the offseason. The Browns traded for Kenny Pickett and signed veteran quarterback Joe Flacco. Cleveland decided to move back in the first round and acquired a second first-round pick in 2026. The class next year is expected to be much better. If the Browns can develop and improve over the 2025 season. Cleveland chose to use the No. 94 pick on Oregon quarterback Dillon Gabriel.
Why didn’t Giants draft Shedeur Sanders?
New York decided to address the defense when they were on the clock with the third overall pick in the draft. The Giants traded back into the first round and everyone was assuming they would take a quarterback. They were right, but New York shockingly took Jaxson Dart. The Giants have their reasons for not taking Sanders, but one of them may have to do with head coach Brian Daboll.
Whenever it became clear that Sanders was going to head to the draft, jokes began that whoever drafted Sanders would have to also hire his father Deion who had been his head football coach since high school. For Daboll, drafting Sanders would come with this pressure that he would have to win with the looming threat of a Deion replacement over him. That likely isn’t the main reason New York went with Dart, especially since other quarterbacks have since been drafted, but it likely played at least a small part.
Why didn’t Saints draft Shedeur Sanders?
New Orleans doesn’t know for sure how badly it needs a quarterback. Derek Carr is dealing with a shoulder injury that could sideline him for the entire 2025 season, but he is getting more opinions. When the news first broke, it sounded like he was going to miss the entire year and Sanders was getting mocked to New Orleans at No. 9. The Saints ended up bolstering their offensive line. New Orleans did eventually take a quarterback, but they chose to go with Louisville’s Tyler Shough in the second round.
There isn’t a clear reason that they didn’t go with Sanders. It could have come to private workouts, his interview with the team or comments that his dad had made in the past about how his son is prepared to not sign with teams he doesn’t want to play for.
Why didn’t Seahawks draft Shedeur Sanders?
Seattle is in a similar position to Las Vegas. The Seahawks signed former Minnesota quarterback Sam Darnold to a three-year, $100.5 million deal. Seattle has a lot of money and time locked up into Darnold, and still has Sam Howell waiting in the wings. With Sanders, there is this assumed pressure that they will have to deal with Deion if his son isn’t playing. Shedeur would go to Seattle and possibly not start for three seasons. The quarterback has played only under his father, who has consistently put him on a very tall pedestal. At this point, there is concern about how not playing will affect Sanders.
Read the full article here
