Shedeur Sanders stays positive despite NFL Draft slide

The first round of the 2025 NFL Draft is in the books, and all eyes will be on Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders as day two gets underway after he was not selected in a shocking first round. The all-time leader in passing touchdowns in Boulder, once thought of as a surefire top-10 pick, is now the best quarterback on the board as the draft continues.

There were plenty of opportunities for Sanders to be taken. The New York Giants passed on him at No. 3, the Cleveland Browns at No. 5, the New Orleans Saints at No. 9 and the Pittsburgh Steelers at No. 21. When the Steelers passed on him in favor of bolstering up their defensive line, it looked as if the door had been shut on his first round dreams.

Until the Giants traded back into the first round for the 25th pick. The football world knew that the Giants were in need of a quarterback, and they snuck back into the opening round to get a signal-caller on a team-friendly first-round contract. The franchise had a large contingency in Boulder for the CU NFL Showcase back in April, they had flown back out to have another workout with Sanders, and they were often at his games in the fall.

Out of the blue, Jaxson Dart’s name was called instead of Sanders’. With no other QB-needy teams trading back into the first round, that was the last chance for Sanders as the door shut on him for a second time.

Despite the unpredictable slide, Sanders made sure to keep the positivity up after the first round had concluded.

 

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“We all didn’t expect this, of course. I feel like, with God, anything’s possible, everything’s possible,” Sanders said at his draft party in Canton, Texas. “I don’t feel like this happened for no reason. All this is, of course, is fuel to the fire. Under no circumstances, we all know that this shouldn’t have happened, but we understand. We on to bigger and better things, tomorrow’s the day, and we’re going to be happy regardless. Legendary.”

The Cleveland Browns, who have been linked to Sanders as a team that needs a quarterback, hold onto the first pick of the second round Friday. The Browns are a -155 favorite to be the team to draft the Colorado quarterback, while the odds Sanders going to any team with the 33rd pick is -125, according to Fanduel Sportsbook.

There was speculation leading into the draft that Sanders and Travis Hunter could be reunited in Cleveland, but those dreams were dashed early on when the Jacksonville Jaguars traded up to take the Heisman Trophy winner with the second pick. If the Browns don’t take Sanders with the 33rd pick, they could still take him with the 36th pick as well. After that, the Raiders (37) and the Saints (40) are the next teams on the board who could give Sanders a shot.

The second round of the 2025 NFL Draft gets underway at 4 p.m. on Friday evening.

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