Did Shedeur Sanders get drafted? Colorado QB shocks some by falling out of first round of NFL Draft 2025

It occurred: Colorado’s quarterback Shedeur Sanders utterly fell out the primary spherical of the 2025 NFL Draft. 

By way of the pre-draft course of, it was powerful to recollect a extra enigmatic, polarizing, principally perceived-to-be prime quarterback prospect than Sanders. Some draft analysts appreciated him; most firmly believed he belonged later within the first spherical of the draft. 

After a stellar albeit not dominant two-year stint at Colorado, Sanders was hardly made obtainable after the season. No participation on the East-West Shrine Bowl. No exercise on the NFL Scouting Mix. Only one necessary press convention in Indianapolis. That is it. 

Coming into draft evening, there have been 4 golf equipment with distinct quarterback vacancies: the Titans, Browns, Giants and Steelers. Others with conceivably impending quarterback vacancies — particularly long-term — included the Jets and Saints, and there is sometimes at the least one staff that secretly has plans to improve the place sooner than everybody expects.

The Titans, as anticipated, used the No. 1 choose on Miami (FL) quarterback Cam Ward. The Giants, in the meantime, took edge rusher Abdul Carter third general earlier than buying and selling again into Spherical 1 for Ole Miss signal-caller Jaxson Dart. As for the opposite groups, they went in several instructions, too; the Browns traded again and acquired defensive lineman Mason Graham at No. 5, the Jets and Saints each respectively took top-10 offensive tackles in Armand Membou and Kelvin Banks Jr., and the Steelers targeted on the opposite facet of the ball by taking Derrick Harmon.

After 32 picks, Sanders was left and not using a staff.

Shedeur Sanders NFL Draft 2025 profile: Full scouting report, professional comp, future outlook for Deion Sanders’ son

Dave Richard

Wanting on the historical past of drafting quarterbacks, it has been a place that’s chosen sooner than every other on the sector, even when a prospect is clearly flawed. In 9 of the final 10 years, the typical draft place for the primary three quarterbacks is choose No. 12. That means Sanders’ fall is definitely fairly stunning. Heck, even the Steelers at choose No. 21 — lengthy thought-about a Sanders backstop — handed on him. That is a pink flag.

Why did Shedeur Sanders fall within the 2025 NFL Draft?

Purely from an analysis standpoint, this is not as stunning because the historic traits counsel. Earlier than the draft, in a chunk that theoretically inserted Ward and Sanders into final yr’s class that featured six first-round quarterbacks, Sanders ranked final at No. 8. He was a great, not nice prospect on the sector, someplace within the Teddy Bridgewater to Geno Smith vary. Bridgewater was the final choose within the first spherical in 2014. Smith went in Spherical 2.

The maturity and/or off-field considerations are one other key level. That is an unsure variable in what’s already an advanced, multi-layered analysis course of for media members. It’s higher to stay to analyzing movie, measurables and metrics. 

Grading for dimension on the quarterback place takes into consideration previous ideologies centered round a participant being “too short” for the place when precise considerations are typically about arm power. Whereas not absolute, sometimes, the shorter the quarterback, the weaker the arm. And it is exactly why brief quarterbacks — with sizable arms — like Baker Mayfield, Russell Wilson and Kyler Murray have been profitable regardless of their missing stature. 

Sanders measured in at 6-foot-1 and 212 kilos on the mix. Whereas I do not enhance or disqualify a quarterback based mostly on dimension alone, these with bigger, thicker frames are typically extra reliable. The extra frail quarterbacks — similar to every other place — at the least appear extra susceptible to accidents. 

Due to that, Sanders did not go purely qualitative “size” take a look at. Nevertheless, having additional meat in your ribs does not assure something on the harm entrance. The one factor at quarterback that does seem to assist cut back harm threat: The flexibility to elude defenders. Logical sufficient, proper? Past the well being issue, it is fairly helpful to maintain drives alive. 

Sanders appeared considerably slow-footed on movie. He isn’t Drew Bledsoe within the pocket, however by in the present day’s NFL requirements, he does not possess the short-area suddenness and pure pace to run away from extremely gifted defensive tackles, edge rushers and linebackers regularly. 

The numbers bear this out. Sanders’ pressure-to-sack fee was 20.1% a season in the past after posting a concerningly excessive 25.1% in 2023. His common time to throw (TTT) of precisely three seconds was tied for the Twenty sixth-highest out of 156 qualifiers. Should you’re an elite athlete and improvisational grasp, you may throw TTT out the window. Sanders is not both of these issues. 

And, sure, Jayden Daniels’ pressure-to-sack fee was 20.2% in his remaining, Heisman Trophy-winning yr at LSU, however even Deion Sanders would admit his son isn’t shut, athletically, to Daniels. That incapability to routinely navigate away from stress was probably one other “strike” towards Sanders as a genuinely top-flight quarterback prospect in my estimation. 

“Accurate” could be on the prime, in daring letters, of Sanders’ draft resume. His adjusted completion proportion of 81.8% ranked third within the FBS in 2024 amongst quarterbacks with at the least 200 makes an attempt. The caveat? His common depth of goal (aDOT) of 8.1 yards ranked 129th out of 156 qualifiers. 

Whereas that is a transparent power of his on movie, it isn’t C.J. Stroud or Joe Burrow caliber. And whereas there is not any manner for to quantify Sanders’ arm power, the analysis is that it is just barely above common. 

Subsequently, in hindsight, Sanders’ slide ought to have been anticipated, particularly in comparison with most hyped quarterback prospects. Being chosen within the second spherical is in the end not that precipitous of a fall. Nonetheless, it is shocking one staff that picked among the many first 32 choices did not fall in love with the attract of Sanders and the eye he’ll indisputably deliver to the town and franchise.