GREEN BAY, Wis. — Shedeur Sanders, the Colorado quarterback with a Hall of Fame dad and a highlight reel that sparked endless chatter, stood at the center of the NFL Draft buzz on April 24, 2025. Everyone figured he’d be shaking hands with a team owner by now, his name called in the first round. But when the clock ticked down in Green Bay, the glitzy stage at Lambeau Field went quiet for Sanders. He didn’t hear his name. Not once. The kid who threw for 4,134 yards and 37 touchdowns last season, who carried the Buffaloes to a 9-4 record, was left hanging—a shocker to some, a harsh reality check to others.
Sanders, son of Deion “Coach Prime” Sanders, walked into the draft as a projected top-10 pick. Mock drafts had him pegged everywhere from No. 3 to the New York Giants to No. 9 for the New Orleans Saints. His arm, his poise, his knack for dissecting defenses from the pocket—it all screamed first-round talent. At Colorado’s pro day on April 4, dubbed the “WE AIN’T HARD 2 FIND Showcase 2025,” he strutted his stuff in front of 80 league scouts and 150 media members. Denver Broncos coach Sean Payton even pulled him into a bear hug, grinning like they were old pals. The vibe was electric. Sanders was the guy.
But the draft had other plans. The Tennessee Titans kicked things off by snagging Miami’s Cam Ward with the No. 1 pick. No surprise there—Ward’s size and mobility had him locked in as QB1. Then the Jacksonville Jaguars, after a trade with Cleveland, scooped up Colorado’s Travis Hunter at No. 2. Sanders’ teammate, the two-way Heisman winner, was gone. The Giants, sitting at No. 3, passed on Sanders for Penn State edge rusher Abdul Carter. Cleveland, desperate for a quarterback, traded down and took Michigan defensive tackle Mason Graham at No. 5. The Saints, another rumored Sanders suitor, grabbed Texas offensive tackle Kelvin Banks Jr. at No. 9. Pittsburgh, with no clear starter and whispers of chasing Aaron Rodgers, went with Oregon’s Derrick Harmon at No. 21.
The final blow came late. The Giants, after trading back into the first round with Houston, grabbed Ole Miss quarterback Jaxson Dart at No. 25. Two quarterbacks were taken—Ward and Dart. Sanders, the kid who completed 74% of his passes in 2024, who took 99 sacks over two years and kept slinging, was still on the board. His 71.8% career completion rate, an FBS record, didn’t sway anyone. Not yet.
Sanders stayed cool, at least publicly. In a video posted on his father’s Instagram after the first round, he leaned on faith: “We all didn’t expect this, of course, but I feel like with God anything is possible, everything is possible.” His college numbers—14,347 yards, 134 touchdowns across four seasons at Jackson State and Colorado—speak for themselves. He turned around two programs, first at Jackson State with back-to-back SWAC titles, then at Colorado, going from one win to a bowl game. But NFL teams hesitated. Some pointed to his slight frame—6-foot-1, 212 pounds. Others noted the 42 sacks he took in 2024, wondering if he holds the ball too long.
The draft wasn’t over for Sanders. Round two loomed on April 25, with Cleveland holding the first pick at No. 33 and another at No. 36. New Orleans, still shaky at quarterback, had No. 41. History offered a flicker of hope: Will Levis slid to the Titans at No. 33 in 2023; Geno Smith went to the Jets at No. 39 in 2013. Sanders could still land early Friday night.
For now, the quarterback who grew up in the spotlight, mentored by the likes of Michael Vick and Tom Brady, waited. The green room cleared out. The first round belonged to others. Sanders, the polarizing prospect with unshakable confidence, was still unclaimed.