Shedeur Sanders falls to day 3 of NFL draft with 5 QBs picked ahead of Coach Prime's son
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“Thank you GOD for EVERYTHING,” Sanders posted on X during the third round.
GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) — Shedeur Sanders is still waiting to hear his name called in the NFL draft — after three rounds, 102 picks and five quarterbacks selected ahead of Coach Prime’s highly touted son.
The Colorado quarterback was widely considered a first-round talent. But his stunning slide continued Friday night when his name wasn’t called in the second or third round.
Sanders was arguably the most recognizable player in the country entering the draft — largely because of his father, Deion Sanders, the Pro Football Hall of Famer who brought an innovative, publicity-seeking approach to college coaching at Jackson State and then Colorado. Shedeur Sanders played for his dad at both schools and finished eighth in Heisman Trophy voting last season as the pair revitalized the Buffaloes program.
NFL talent evaluators were apparently less impressed than draft analysts realized. Few if any mock drafts had Jaxson Dart, Tyler Shough, Jalen Milroe or Dillon Gabriel getting picked before Sanders, but that’s what happened.
“Thank you GOD for EVERYTHING,” Sanders posted on X during the third round.
Wherever he ends up, Sanders will make millions of dollars less than he would have if he’d been selected in the first round. For example, if he’d gone to the quarterback-needy Pittsburgh Steelers at No. 21 overall, he’d be in line for an $18 million contract. A fourth-round pick can expect a rookie deal worth between $4.9 million and $5.3 million.
President Donald Trump mused in a social media post that teams were “STUPID” for passing on Sanders — before the second round began.
Sanders initially was rated by some draft analysts as a better QB prospect than Miami’s Cam Ward, who ultimately went No. 1 overall to Tennessee. But as the draft drew closer, concerns began to emerge.
One issue: Sanders was sacked 94 times over his last two college seasons. There also were worries about his arm strength and questions about how well he would adapt to playing for someone other than his dad. And given his high profile, teams might be reluctant to pick him if they view him as a backup.
