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Former Colorado football quarterback Shedeur Sanders has taken a tumble in the 2025 NFL Draft on Thursday, as he has yet to be drafted after the Pittsburgh Steelers' No. 21 overall pick.
Sanders is widely regarded as the second-best quarterback available behind Cam Ward, who went No. 1 overall to the Tennessee Titans. However, teams aren't rushing to take the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award winner yet, despite being one of the best quarterbacks in college football last season.
REQUIRED READING: Deion Sanders defends Colorado retiring son Shedeur's jersey: 'We should be thankful'
Sanders was projected as high as No. 3 to the New York Giants or No. 9 to the New Orleans Saints, but both teams passed on taking quarterbacks and went with Abdul Carter and Kelvin Banks Jr. at the two selections, respectively. Sanders was also mocked to the quarterback-needy Pittsburgh Steelers at No. 21, but they picked defensive tackle Derrick Harmon instead.
The 2025 quarterback class isn't considered to be as strong as in recent years, especially compared to 2024, when five quarterbacks went in the top 12 picks. There are plenty of potential starter-caliber quarterbacks available in the later rounds in 2025, but they are viewed as more developmental pieces, which didn't play in Sanders' favor.
Here's why Sanders fell in the 2025 NFL Draft on Thursday night:
While there are plenty of reasons — most unknown — for Sanders' drop in the 2025 NFL Draft, it appears his drop has to do with a weak quarterback class.
While Sanders is the No. 2-ranked quarterback available by many draft experts, the quarterbacks are not in strong supply, despite the position normally being one that is selected early and often as organizations look for their next franchise signal-caller.
Sanders' might've known what was to come, as well, as he posted "I’m built for whatever today may bring" on X before the draft started.
Teams likely felt Sanders wasn't enough of a tier above other quarterbacks such as Jaxson Dart, Jalen Milroe and Tyler Shough, who all could also develop into future NFL starters while also carrying a few flaws.
Ward, who went No. 1 overall, was selected there due to his position, despite being ranked as USA TODAY Sports' No. 4 prospect. The Titans also had a notable need at quarterback after Will Levis and Mason Rudolph combined to throw for 22 touchdowns and 21 interceptions last season.
Sanders finished with a 13-12 record at Colorado, as he started every game for the Buffaloes across the 2023 and 2024 seasons. That includes a five-game improvement from 2023 to 2024, with the Buffaloes going 9-4 in the latter season.
Sanders had a 23-3 record in two seasons as the starter at Jackson State before he transferred to Colorado. Here's a look at Sanders' year-by-year record in college football:
Here are Sanders' year-by-year stats in college:
This article originally appeared on Fort Collins Coloradoan: Why did Shedeur Sanders' NFL draft stock drop? What to know
Continue reading...
Sanders is widely regarded as the second-best quarterback available behind Cam Ward, who went No. 1 overall to the Tennessee Titans. However, teams aren't rushing to take the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award winner yet, despite being one of the best quarterbacks in college football last season.
REQUIRED READING: Deion Sanders defends Colorado retiring son Shedeur's jersey: 'We should be thankful'
Sanders was projected as high as No. 3 to the New York Giants or No. 9 to the New Orleans Saints, but both teams passed on taking quarterbacks and went with Abdul Carter and Kelvin Banks Jr. at the two selections, respectively. Sanders was also mocked to the quarterback-needy Pittsburgh Steelers at No. 21, but they picked defensive tackle Derrick Harmon instead.
The 2025 quarterback class isn't considered to be as strong as in recent years, especially compared to 2024, when five quarterbacks went in the top 12 picks. There are plenty of potential starter-caliber quarterbacks available in the later rounds in 2025, but they are viewed as more developmental pieces, which didn't play in Sanders' favor.
Here's why Sanders fell in the 2025 NFL Draft on Thursday night:
Why did Shedeur Sanders' draft stock drop?
While there are plenty of reasons — most unknown — for Sanders' drop in the 2025 NFL Draft, it appears his drop has to do with a weak quarterback class.
While Sanders is the No. 2-ranked quarterback available by many draft experts, the quarterbacks are not in strong supply, despite the position normally being one that is selected early and often as organizations look for their next franchise signal-caller.
Sanders' might've known what was to come, as well, as he posted "I’m built for whatever today may bring" on X before the draft started.
Teams likely felt Sanders wasn't enough of a tier above other quarterbacks such as Jaxson Dart, Jalen Milroe and Tyler Shough, who all could also develop into future NFL starters while also carrying a few flaws.
Ward, who went No. 1 overall, was selected there due to his position, despite being ranked as USA TODAY Sports' No. 4 prospect. The Titans also had a notable need at quarterback after Will Levis and Mason Rudolph combined to throw for 22 touchdowns and 21 interceptions last season.
Shedeur Sanders record at Colorado
Sanders finished with a 13-12 record at Colorado, as he started every game for the Buffaloes across the 2023 and 2024 seasons. That includes a five-game improvement from 2023 to 2024, with the Buffaloes going 9-4 in the latter season.
Sanders had a 23-3 record in two seasons as the starter at Jackson State before he transferred to Colorado. Here's a look at Sanders' year-by-year record in college football:
- 2021 (Jackson State): 11-2
- 2022 (Jackson State): 12-1
- 2023 (Colorado): 4-8
- 2024 (Colorado): 9-4
Shedeur Sanders stats
Here are Sanders' year-by-year stats in college:
- 2021 (Jackson State): 272 of 413 passing (65.9%) for 3,231 yards with 30 touchdowns to eight interceptions; three rushing touchdowns
- 2022 (Jackson State): 341 of 483 passing (70.6%) for 3,732 yards with 40 touchdowns to six interceptions; six rushing touchdowns
- 2023 (Colorado): 298 of 430 passing (69.3%) for 3,230 yards with 27 touchdowns to three interceptions; four rushing touchdowns
- 2024 (Colorado): 353 of 477 passing (74%) for 4,134 yards with 37 touchdowns to 10 interceptions; four rushing touchdowns
This article originally appeared on Fort Collins Coloradoan: Why did Shedeur Sanders' NFL draft stock drop? What to know
Continue reading...
