West quarterback Shedeur Sanders of Colorado (2) looks on from the sidelines during the first half against the East at AT&T Stadium. / Jerome Miron-Imagn Images
Colorado Buffaloes quarterback Shedeur Sanders didn’t get to hear his name called in the first round of the 2025 NFL draft on Thursday night, but there’s a pretty good chance he’ll find a home when Day 2 rolls around.
The better question isn’t when will he be drafted–it’s where will he be drafted?
After the New York Giants and Pittsburgh Steelers both passed on Sanders in the first round, the Colorado star’s top remaining destinations are arguably the Cleveland Browns (No. 33), Las Vegas Raiders (No. 37), and the New Orleans Saints (No. 40).
Even though those franchises are the most quarterback-needy of the bunch, one can’t rule out the possibility of a sleeper team taking him off the board, either. ESPN insider Adam Schefter gave his brutally honest assessment of Sanders’s draft situation on Friday and named three surprising teams who could call his name.
“I won’t be surprised that Tyler Shough goes ahead of Shedeur Sanders tonight,” Schefter said. “I think there are not a lot of teams that love the idea of drafting Shedeur. I think now we’re at the point where unless he goes in the third round, No. 83 to the Pittsburgh Steelers, who had a discussion about him on the board at No. 21, I think we may get a team that we never connected to him.
“I don’t know what team that is, but I’ll give you some examples right now. And again, I’m just hypothesizing… The Seattle Seahawks, the Arizona Cardinals, and—hold on to your head—the Dallas Cowboys.”
“I won’t be surprised if Tyler Shough goes ahead of Shedeur Sanders. … I think we may get a team that we never connected to him.”
—@AdamSchefter on where Shedeur Sanders could land 😯 pic.twitter.com/MCsfK8Exc0
— NFL on ESPN (@ESPNNFL) April 25, 2025
Of those three, the Cowboys would without a doubt be the most intriguing fit for Sanders, given that his dad Deion played in Dallas for five seasons and has remained close with owner Jerry Jones.
Schefter isn’t necessarily saying those teams have substantial interest in drafting Sanders—he’s just telling NFL fans to potentially expect the unexpected. Day 2 of the draft, which features the second and third rounds, will kick off in Green Bay at 7 p.m. ET.
