Nov 16, 2024; Boulder, Colorado, USA; Colorado Buffaloes quarterback Shedeur Sanders (2) looks on before the game against the Utah Utes at Folsom Field. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images We’ll forever remember the 2025 NFL Draft because of Shedeur Sanders’ dramatic slide.
It’s unprecedented, really. It’s the biggest NFL Draft slide probably ever when you factor in the hype surrounding Sanders as a prospect and the accomplishments on the field — turning around Jackson State and Colorado.
While the media hype around Sanders was always pretty inflated, there’s no way he should still be on the board. Sure, he wasn’t a top-15, first-round talent. That’s understandable. But the New Orleans Saints drafted Tyler Shough on Friday. The Cleveland Browns drafted Oregon’s Dillon Gabriel in Round 3.
These guys are in no way, shape or form better than Sanders, and literally nobody anticipated them being drafted before him.
As Sanders is still available heading into Round 4, everybody in the football world is trying to make sense of how this happened. Let’s speculate.
1. The Sanders camp overplayed their hand
From Day One, Deion Sanders proclaimed that there were certain NFL organizations he would not allow his son to play for. He said he would inform these teams professionally and privately.
Maybe they overplayed their hand. Maybe, just maybe, behind closed doors, the Sanders family told several organizations they wouldn’t play in their specific city, word got out, and now the league is colluding against them.
The NFL isn’t the NBA. It was always going to be hard for the Sanders family to try and Bronny James this thing. But that’s the best theory on why this happened.
2. Maybe Shedeur asked for way too much money
The issue with this theory is that we see fully guaranteed rookie quarterback contracts literally every year, so it’s not an unfathomable ask.
We know that Sanders, who is one of the highest-paid college athletes in the history of the NIL era, has an affinity for the finer things in life, and maybe he had an unfair ask when meeting with teams who view him as a backup.
This feels like the most far-fetched theory.
3. Teams don’t want Deion’s pressure
Nov 29, 2024; Boulder, Colorado, USA; Colorado Buffaloes head coach Deion Sanders runs onto the field before the game against the Oklahoma State Cowboys at Folsom Field. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images Shedeur’s father has cemented himself as one of the best coaches in college football.
Love him or hate him, you can’t ignore the fact that Colorado was the laughingstock of the nation and he had them bowl-eligible in two short seasons.
Perhaps teams think that if they put serious draft capital, like a top-100 pick, into Shedeur, their owner could be enticed to hire his father to replace them. While Coach Prime recently signed a new mega deal to remain the lead man in Boulder, we know that college football coaching contracts are fickle and it’s all about the buyout. Remember, he did interview with the Dallas Cowboys just a few short months ago.
Coach Prime’s social media handles are very active, and if Shedeur were to struggle, there’s a realistic chance the family would be quick to voice their opinion and diagnose what’s going wrong.
4. Shedeur would be NFL’s most polarizing backup
Apr 4, 2025; Boulder, CO, USA; Colorado Buffaloes quarterback Shedeur Sanders (2) talks to ESPN after the University of Colorado NFL Showcase at the CU Indoor Practice Facility. Mandatory Credit: Michael Ciaglo-Imagn Images Because of the hype surrounding Sanders heading into this process and the coverage surrounding this fall in the NFL Draft, he would become the most polarizing backup quarterback in the NFL.
It’s understandable why teams wouldn’t want the media circus surrounding a backup rookie quarterback. It’s a tough enough job to learn life in the NFL, but sprinkle in the in-season podcast and the surrounding noise might be too much for a young player with a lot too learn.
5. Limited market for QBs
Heading into the 2025 NFL Draft, QB rooms around the NFL are just about set. Even backup quarterbacks have been compensated well this offseason, and teams likely aren’t looking for projects with the fanfare that Sanders would bring.
The Tennessee Titans drafted Cam Ward No. 1 overall and solved their QB problem. The New York Giants traded back in for Jaxson Dart. The Browns, Saints and Pittsburgh Steelers are three of the only teams that certainly could’ve used Sanders due to lack of options elsewhere, and they probably just didn’t see a fit.
Factoring in that it’s at least possible the Sanders family told a few teams they wouldn’t be willing to play in a given city, that limits the options for Shedeur even further.
