Shadeur Sanders’ Place in NFL 2025 Draft Sparks Controversy
This past Thursday marked the start of the 2025 NFL Draft. Hosted in Green Bay, Wis., this year’s event surprised viewers when Shedeur Sanders, son of accomplished defensive back Deion Sanders, was drafted late after being a consensus pick for the first round.
Sanders, a quarterback hailing from the University of Colorado’s Boulder campus, was known for being one of their best players in history, leading the team in over 50 games played and a 70% pass completion rate. Being the son of Deion Sanders, he was expected to be picked early in the first round as teams were looking for new quarterbacks.
The Giants, who picked edge Abdul Carter as the third pick of the draft, looked like the most likely team to acquire Sanders late in the first round. They traded for the 26th selection, wanting a quarterback, but instead chose to pick up Jaxson Dart (Ole Miss).
Sanders continued to go undrafted for four rounds of the draft, finally being chosen by the Cleveland Browns in the 144th selection of the NFL Draft.
Sanders’ brother Shilo Sanders, another contender, was not selected, but signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as an undrafted free agent.
Despite being considered by many fans a top contender for many NFL teams, Sanders also has collected a reputation for being flashy and blaming others for his failings. His father faced similar claims and objections from teams and fans alike.
Anonymous sources from inside the NFL claim Sanders may have also performed poorly in pre-draft interviews with teams considering signing him.
Andrew Kreye, a staff reporter for The Leader and an attendee of the 2025 draft commented, “Shedeur embodied being arrogant. If you’re going to go into a meeting with a team with that ego, you have to be the absolute best.”
Despite being one of the best players in UC history, Colorado placed 25th in their season with Sanders, missing the playoffs, and only achieving a 9-4 season record.
“He was questionably #2” said Kreye.
Though Sanders was drafted, his reputation and late selection may contribute to less playtime than expected. It remains to be seen if he will play to the standard set around him.
