In a scenario that appeared to be shaping up over the past few weeks, Shedeur Sanders went unselected in the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft.
Sanders was bypassed by a multitude of teams with some level of quarterback need throughout the first round, including the Tennessee Titans, Cleveland Browns, New York Giants, Las Vegas Raiders, New Orleans Saints and Pittsburgh Steelers. Interestingly, the Giants did a significant amount of work on Sanders in the pre-draft process and then actually passed on him twice — first at the No. 3 overall pick, and then again after trading back into the first round and selecting Ole Miss quarterback Jaxson Dart with the 25th overall pick.
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After the round ended, Sanders spoke to those in attendance at his draft watch site in Texas. In a video posted to Instagram by his father, Deion, he framed the moment as “fuel to the fire.”
“We all didn’t expect this of course, but I feel like with God, anything’s possible, everything’s possible, and I feel like this didn’t happen for no reason,” Sanders said. “All this is of course is fuel to the fire. Under no circumstance — we all know this shouldn’t have happened, but we understand we’re on to bigger and better things. If tomorrow’s the day, we’re going to be happy regardless.”
While Sanders’ draft stock appeared to be continually adjusted down the board as Thursday drew closer, his fall out of the first round came in the wake of a last-minute spate of controversy this week after NFL Network anonymously quoted multiple league sources who hammered Sanders with sharp criticism over his play and pre-draft interviews. While the anonymous critiques were not the first for Sanders in this process, the nature of some of the comments — including calling him “entitled” and “not very good” as a player — drew a spate of negative reactions inside and outside of league circles.
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That report likely changed nothing in terms of Sanders’ evaluation across the league, but it again highlighted a roller coaster of pre-draft speculation that made him arguably the biggest mystery of Thursday’s first round. On more than one occasion, Deion accused unnamed NFL teams or individuals of spreading lies and negative stories about his son, drawing more drama into the frame of evaluation with each passing month. And Shedeur himself continually labeled criticisms of him as “hate” in the process.
Now, with so many quarterback-needy teams passing on him in the first round — and others with opportunities to trade up at the end of Thursday night’s selection declining to do so — it raises the question of precisely how far down the board Sanders could ultimately go. That mystery endures into Friday night, which features a second round with multiple quarterback-needy teams sitting at the top of the order.
The most prominent potential suitors are the Browns, who are looking for a long-term starter to develop and currently hold the first pick in the second round (33rd overall). Cleveland also has the 36th pick, which it acquired from the Jacksonville Jaguars in a trade that moved Cleveland down from No. 2 overall to the fifth pick, where it selected Michigan defensive tackle Mason Graham.
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Sanders has long been viewed as a natural fit for Cleveland head coach Kevin Stefanski’s offense, which has had success over a sustained period with pocket quarterbacks who present a somewhat limited overall athletic profile or prototypical build. The Browns also did ample work on Sanders throughout the draft process, taking him to dinner and meeting with him a handful of times, but not putting him through a private workout.
Beyond Cleveland, the Las Vegas Raiders at 37th overall remain a potential landing spot, with minority owner Tom Brady having been a mentor for Shedeur going back to his days in high school. If not the Raiders, the Saints could be the floor for Sanders at the 40th overall pick — although there’s no guarantee he does’t fall even further Friday, which encompasses both the second and third rounds of the draft.
Long considered one of the biggest stories in this draft, Shedeur Sanders’ destination will now be the talk of the second day, too.
