Reaction to Shedeur Sanders’ NFL Draft slide: ‘It’s more than football’

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As the eighth hour of NFL Draft programming wrapped up on ESPN and NFL Network on Friday night, the biggest question of the weekend remained: Where will Shedeur Sanders land?

Once thought of as the potential top quarterback in the 2025 draft class, Sanders remains available entering the final day of the draft Saturday. Five quarterbacks were chosen ahead of him over the draft’s first three rounds. Sanders’ landing spot was unclear entering the weekend, but the smoke of a slide turned to fire as the former Colorado quarterback remained at the top of many “best available” boards for the entirety of Day 2.

“It’s gotta be about more than football. He’s the best pure passer you can draft,” ESPN’s Booger McFarland said as the broadcast discussed Sanders’ fall. “When you start to see developmental projects like Jalen Milroe and Dillon Gabriel — and nothing against those guys, but they’re not nearly the player that Shedeur Sanders is. When they go before him, the only thing you can say is that it’s more than football.”

Said ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr., who ranked Sanders fifth on his big board, one spot ahead of quarterback and No. 1 pick Cam Ward, before the draft: “I really have nothing to say. I think it’s disgusting. That’s all I can say.”

Sanders’ situation stirred conversation on the NFL Network broadcast, too. Former Colorado quarterback and analyst Joel Klatt pointed to NFL organizations’ evaluation processes, which include assessing both “the player and the person.”

“Tonight, for Shedeur Sanders, this is a time for some deep self-reflection. His play on the field would suggest he should already have been selected,” Klatt said. “There were some quarterbacks, their play on the field probably doesn’t warrant a selection over his play on the field.

“The reason he’s undrafted at this point is because of the person that sat with those teams and did not, for whatever reason, jell with them.”

Amid one of the steepest high-profile draft slides in recent memory, Sanders’ situation stirred plenty of reaction from those within and outside of the football sphere.

President Donald Trump posted on his Truth Social account before Friday’s second and third rounds, advocating for Sanders, who he described as “all set” for greatness. “He should be ‘picked’ IMMEDIATELY by a team that wants to WIN,” Trump wrote.

Former NFL quarterback Robert Griffin III posted a video on X saying Sanders should not have fallen out of the first three rounds: “There are a lot of people out there who are saying that he needed to be humbled. Shedeur Sanders didn’t need to be humbled. He’s already humble. His confidence should not shake you or make you uncomfortable.”

Shedeur Sanders didn’t need to be humbled. His confidence shouldn’t offend your insecurities. His play showed that he should not have fallen out of the first 3 rounds of the NFL Draft.@OuttaPocketRG3 #NFLDraft2025 #NFL #RG3 #outtapocket #ShedeurSanders #GG3 pic.twitter.com/kLn9JzmQDt

— Robert Griffin III (@RGIII) April 26, 2025

Analyst and former NFL player Emmanuel Acho also posted on X, putting Sanders’ slide into the context of other quarterbacks selected on Day 3.

“If you get drafted after the third round, you do not have an opportunity to start, barring an unforeseen injury,” Acho said. “So even more than Shedeur’s pride might be hurt, Deion’s pride might be hurt, the opportunities are squandered and most importantly, they discard you quickly in the fourth round.”

ESPN “First Take” host Stephen A. Smith wrote on X: “This is a damn disgrace. How in the hell is @Shedeur not off the board, not drafted yet. … This kid is a first rounder.”

Denver Broncos coach Sean Payton told reporters he was “surprised” Sanders was not selected.

“There will be this chip on his shoulder and beware, because this guy is going to play in this league,” Payton said. “I think it’s hard for any of us to explain what other people are looking for.”

The Colorado Buffaloes Football X account posted 10 minutes of Sanders highlights late Friday night. The program retired the jerseys of Sanders and former teammate Travis Hunter, who was selected second by the Jacksonville Jaguars, at last week’s spring game.

10 minutes of Shedeur Sanders’ highlights pic.twitter.com/AJMWtvrjvW

— Colorado Buffaloes Football (@CUBuffsFootball) April 26, 2025

Sanders did not attend the draft in Green Bay, but broadcasts of the first round on Thursday looked into his watch party in Canton, Texas, multiple times. At the end of round 1, with Ward (No. 1 to the Tennessee Titans) and Jaxson Dart (No. 25 to the New York Giants) being the only quarterbacks selected, Sanders’ father, Deion, posted a video of Shedeur addressing the slide.

“We didn’t expect this of course but I feel like with God anything is possible, everything is possible,” Shedeur said. “Tomorrow’s the day. We’re going to be happy regardless. Legendary.”

As Round 3 approached its final picks on Friday night, Sanders posted on X: “Thank you GOD for EVERYTHING.”

(Photo: Justin Casterline / Getty Images)

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