The pre-draft process began with Miami’s Cam Ward and Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders as 1A and 1B on most big boards. As it turns out, the gap was much wider.
While Ward went No. 1 overall to the Titans, as expected, Sanders is falling. He was passed over by the Browns, Giants, and Saints, along with other teams without as much of a need at quarterback, sliding past the early portion of the first half.
When the Giants traded back into the first round, he was passed up again in favor of Ole Miss QB Jaxson Dart.
Sanders tweeted earlier Thursday that he is “built for whatever today may bring,” perhaps hinting that he knew there would be a wide range of possibilities as he waits to find out his new home.
Here’s what you need to know about Sanders’ slide in the 2025 NFL Draft.
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Shedeur Sanders draft slide, explained
Buzz had been building in the days leading up to the draft that Sanders may slide into the back half of the first round or even out of the first round altogether. Reports point to Sanders’ skillset, not any character or attitude concerns, as the primary reason.
One anonymous AFC executive recently told Fox Sports that Sanders was “not special to me,” while Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer reported he was “having a really hard time” finding coaches and scouts who had the Colorado star graded as a first-round prospect.
While some were skeptical of Sanders from the start of the pre-draft process, the fact that the number of quarterback-needy teams was larger than the number of high-level quarterbacks available kept Sanders in most top-10 projections. The Browns, Giants, and Saints all have long-term questions at the position, and the NFL Draft has a long history of teams making desperation quarterback picks.
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This time, teams at the top of the draft simply didn’t think Sanders was worth the investment despite no reported injury concerns for the 23-year-old. It’s also unclear whether the potential involvement of Sanders’ father, Hall of Famer and Colorado coach Deion Sanders, was of any concern to interested teams.
A significant number of recent mock drafts projected Sanders slipping to the Steelers with No. 21 pick, according to NFL Mock Draft Database, so the writing was on the wall for a long wait, but Pittsburgh’s decision to pass up on him turned the night into a prolonged one for the Colorado standout.
The Steelers went “back and forth” when weighing whether to select Sanders, NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported, indicating it was far from an easy decision to pass as they await Aaron Rodgers’ decision.
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Who will draft Shedeur Sanders?
The Browns, Giants, and Saints are the quarterback-needy teams that passed on Sanders in the top 10 on Thursday night, so where could the Colorado star actually end up?
Cleveland leads off the second round and could be a natural landing spot with Joe Flacco and Kenny Pickett as its top quarterback options for 2025. If the Browns dangle the pick in a trade, who could bite? The Saints hold the No. 40 pick and still need a quarterback with Derek Carr’s status up in the air, while the Raiders and Jets are two teams with quarterbacks in place for 2025 but long-term questions.
The Steelers, slated to pick 21st, had long been rumored as a potential destination for Sanders with no clear short-term or long-term answer at quarterback. Pittsburgh still doesn’t know whether Aaron Rodgers will be signing with the organization, but the Steelers may have been wary of taking a quarterback just for the sake of taking a quarterback after whiffing on Kenny Pickett in 2022 and passed on Sanders at No. 21.
Pittsburgh does not have a second-round pick thanks to the DK Metcalf trade, so a deal to move up and take Sanders would be challenging.
It’s fairly common for teams to trade back up into the first round for a quarterback, as the Ravens did to select Lamar Jackson in 2018 and Vikings did for Teddy Bridgewater in 2014. It looked like the Giants might be pulling off a similar move for Sanders, but they instead went with Dart at No. 25 overall.
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