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Shedeur Sanders suffered one of the most dramatic NFL Draft slides of any top quarterback prospect in recent history on Thursday night.
Sanders, who was projected by some to be the No. 1 overall pick in this year’s draft after the college football season, fell completely out of the first round and remains undrafted going into day two.
The former University of Colorado star admitted that he and his family “did not expect” what occurred on Thursday night, in footage posted by his brother Deion Sanders Jr. Still, the quarterback appears to be keeping a positive attitude and expects to be drafted on Friday.
“We all didn’t expect this, of course, but I feel like with God, anything possible, everything possible. I don’t feel like this happened for no reason. All of this is, of course, fuel to the fire. Under no circumstances did we all know this was going to happen, but we understand we on to bigger and better things,” the quarterback said.
“Tomorrow’s the day. We going to be happy regardless. Legendary.”
Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders watches a drill at the NFL football scouting combine in Indianapolis, Saturday, March 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)
Still, the quarterback hinted at possibly knowing that he might not get picked in the first round earlier on Thursday. Hours prior to the draft, Sanders made a social media post insisting he was prepared for whatever happened in the first round.
“I’m built for whatever today may bring,” he wrote.
What the day brought was a surprising slide for Sanders, and a dent to his father and college coach’s expectations.
NFL Hall of Famer and Colorado head coach Deion Sanders previously insisted Shedeur would be a top-five pick when he entered the draft in an X post in May 2024. That post received a community note on Thursday after Shedeur slid.
Two other quarterbacks were taken in the first round while Shedeur waited to hear his name called. The Tennessee Titans took former Miami quarterback Cam Ward with the first overall pick, and the New York Giants traded back into the first round at No. 25 to take former Ole Miss quarterback Jaxson Dart.
Several other teams that have a need at quarterback, including the Cleveland Browns, New Orleans Saints and Pittsburgh Steelers, also passed on Sanders.
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Colorado head coach Deion Sanders, left, talks with his son, quarterback Shedeur Sanders, before passing drills at Colorado’s NFL football pro day Friday, April 4, 2025, in Boulder, Colo. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)
This happened despite the fact that Sanders led the Big 12 Conference with 4,134 passing yards and 37 touchdown passes and was named the Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year. In his 50 college games, Sanders threw for 14,347 yards, 134 touchdowns and 27 interceptions.
But his value came into question in weeks leading up to the draft amid concerns about his character.
An anonymous NFL coach recently told the NFL Network that Sanders was “the worst formal interview I’ve ever been in in my life.”
“He’s so entitled. He takes unnecessary sacks. He never plays on time. He has horrible body language. He blames teammates,” the coach continued. “But the biggest thing is he’s not that good.”
Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders celebrates after an overtime victory over Baylor in an NCAA college football game on Saturday, Sept. 21, 2024, in Boulder, Colo. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)
Another longtime AFC executive echoed that sentiment, telling the outlet, “It didn’t go great in our interview. He wants to dictate what he’s going to do and what’s best for him. He makes you feel small.”
Those concerns and criticisms took their toll on the quarterback’s draft stock, as he now will have to settle for hearing his name on day two, at the earliest.
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