Is Shedeur Sanders’ Unprecedented Draft Slide a Sign of What’s to Come in His NFL Career?

By Jack Zinke | 12 May, 2025

Thursday, April 24, 2025 came and went and the Colorado Buffaloes’ quarterback phenom, Shedeur Sanders, was still without a home. Friday, April 25, 2025 came and went and Shedeur Sanders was still unclaimed by an NFL franchise. Finally, after 4 rounds, 143 picks, and over 2 days of waiting, the Cleveland Browns decided to take a flyer on Shedeur Sanders with the 144th overall selection on April 26, 2025. Now, this story of having to wait multiple days to hear from an NFL team isn’t exactly something out of the ordinary. In fact, the majority of draft selections are taken during the third day of the draft. However, what is out of the ordinary is when a once surefire first-round quarterback, who seemingly has all the tangibles that an NFL-caliber quarterback should possess, is passed on by all 32 teams four times over. Not only was Sanders passed on, but he was passed on for arguably FOUR far less talented signal callers, one of which was taken by the team that drafted him. That’s right, the Cleveland Browns selected a quarterback before Shedeur Sanders in this draft, signaling that they view Sanders as inferior to Oregon’s Dillon Gabriel. This isn’t a diss to Gabriel or any of the other quarterbacks taken ahead of Sanders. They’re all worthy of being selected by their respective franchises; rather, it is a question of what Shedeur Sanders did or did not do to cause his unprecedented draft slide.

To answer this, a separate question must be asked: what are the reasons for why NFL draft prospects might fall down the board? There are a multitude of reasons as to why this might happen and taking a deeper look into these potential causes could possibly provide a clear, concise answer as to why Shedeur Sanders fell in the 2025 NFL Draft. Further, this analysis might also show whether or not Sanders’ draft slide will be indicative of the outcome of his future in the NFL. Will he be successful and prove his doubters wrong, or was the slide a sign of his future failure in the league, thus making his fall in the draft warranted? Looking into past draft prospects who also fell down the board will help provide a framework to answer why Shedeur slid as well as if those reasons will be a sign of what’s to come. In other words, are slides in the NFL Draft reflective of actual performance in the league?

Off-field issues are one of the most impactful reasons for why a player might slide in the draft. NFL organizations grow wary when a prospect has had problems with the law or lives a life that might be seen as immoral. Players without off-field issues will likely stay out of trouble, keeping outside distractions away from the team circle. Organizations do not want media to get the team out of focus and players with off-field issues often create distractions, shifting their teammates’ attention away from the field. Overall, NFL teams will look very heavily into a player’s life outside of football and usually opt to stay away from players that will bring unwanted distractions into the locker room. For example, top-10 prospect Randy Gregory fell below his draft projection in 2015 due to his issues with substance abuse. At the NFL Scouting Combine, the linebacker tested positive for marijuana use and concern was raised by many interested teams. Gregory was eventually selected by the Dallas Cowboys in the second round; unfortunately, his troubles continued and he received multiple league suspensions relating to substance abuse. In that case, his draft slide as a result of off-field issues was likely warranted. Now, do off-field issues always warrant a player falling below their projection? The answer is not necessarily. In contrast to Randy Gregory, offensive lineman Laremy Tunsil’s off-field issues were actually not indicative of a downfall in the NFL. Right before the start of the draft, Tunsil posted a video on social media of him using a gas mask bong. This post led to panic within league circles and eventually resulted in him falling to the 13th overall pick, instead of his projection that slated him in the top five. This fall was obviously not an indicator of failure in the league as he has become one of the best pass protectors in the NFL since he was drafted. Tunsil has racked up five Pro Bowl selections since being drafted and has not had many off-field issues take place throughout his long, successful career.

Laremy Tunsil’s alarming draft day social media post that sent NFL organizations into a frenzy.

Players might also fall down draft boards due to injury concerns. Injuries are extremely prevalent in the NFL, as it is such a physical sport that demands players to give it their all each and every down. Every player is prone to injury. That’s just a fact. But when the injuries continue to pile up, warning sirens start to go off. Teams typically try to stay away from players who are consistently sidelined due to injury, regardless of the amount of talent a prospect might possess. Most often, an ‘injury-prone’ player continually has injury issues throughout their time in the NFL. This isn’t always the case, but it is usually safer for a team to steer clear of a player with serious injury concerns. For instance, Marcus Lattimore’s early college production had him rise to the top of future draft boards. At South Carolina, Lattimore recorded 2,677 rushing yards and 38 touchdowns; however, a torn ACL in 2011 would cut his sophomore season short. While one significant injury doesn’t necessarily make a player ‘injury-prone,’ two significant injuries sustained in a short span of time will raise red flags. In 2012, Lattimore dislocated his right knee and also tore his ACL, PCL, and LCL on the same play. The once highly touted draft prospect was selected by the San Francisco 49ers in the fourth round of the 2013 NFL Draft, despite Lattimore’s back-to-back major injuries. Lattimore was never able to touch the field in his career as his significant injuries prevented him from truly reaching a state where he could return to full strength. Lattimore is a prime example of how difficult it can be for a top prospect to overcome significant injuries and how most teams are cautious when drafting a player with those types of concerns.

A third factor that plays into draft slides is character concerns, which is very similar to off-field issues, but also completely separate. Many NFL organizations highly value good character. This is because a player with good character can serve as a leader in the locker room. They become someone that teammates look up to and admire, possibly even striving to model their outlook on the game. Because of this, teams might reach for a player that they feel fits the mold of the culture that a team has fostered or wants to create. Reaching for a player of good character will simultaneously cause a player with concerning character traits to fall down the draft board. Too much arrogance and lack of humility also ties into this. Many teams look for players that they deem to be coachable, willing to admit mistakes and to correct them. A player that thinks of themselves too highly and believes that they are never in the wrong is not always a good look for NFL scouts. Maturity also plays into the character of a football player. For example, pass rusher Jalen Carter was involved in a fatal accident prior to the NFL Draft and was held responsible. Teams were concerned about this, but he fell far enough that the Philadelphia Eagles decided to take a chance. Carter’s on-field talent is undeniable, but he has struggled with other maturity issues, such as arriving to team events late, not properly taking care of his diet, and various other problems. Carter’s maturity has continued to be an issue at the NFL level, but the Eagles seem to believe that his incredible on-field product is enough to cancel out his negatives. Another famous example of a player with character concerns is Vontaze Burfict, whose tenacity was relentless on the defensive side of the ball; however, Burfict often took it too far and gained a reputation as a dirty player. Many of Burfict’s hits on defense were done so viciously that it was quite obvious that he was trying to injure opposing players. Drawing many unsportsmanlike and personal conduct penalties, interested teams turned their eyes away from Burfict in the 2012 NFL Draft and he ended up going undrafted. Nevertheless, the Cincinnati Bengals decided to sign Burfict as an undrafted free agent largely because of his obvious talent. In 2013, Burfict led the entire NFL in tackles and was given Pro Bowl and second-team All-Pro nods. These were astounding achievements for an undrafted linebacker. Yet, the dirty play continued. In 14 different incidents, Burfict was suspended a total of 22 games, equating to $5.3 million in fines. Vontaze Burfict is a great example of a player with incredible talent, but his career was cut short due to his unchanging ‘bad character.’ For the most part, players with character concerns in college don’t change too much when they get to the NFL level. The players who have great talent might have their great talent translate over to the league, but more often than not, the character issues carry over as well.

Bengals linebacker Vontaze Burfict #55 lays a dirty hit on defenseless superstar receiver Antonio Brown #84 of the Steelers.

Players might also fall because of the type of play style that they have become accustomed to. Some players might be viewed by NFL scouts as being ‘too raw.’ This usually means that a player is undeniably an incredible athlete, but might not play the ‘correct way.’ A player criticized for being too raw was Wyoming quarterback Josh Allen. There were questions regarding his throwing accuracy and his decision-making ability. Prospective teams thought that Allen often would force the ball too much and didn’t fully get through his progressions. Josh Allen primarily relied on his incredibly strong arm and mobility, both in the pocket and in the open field. While Allen didn’t necessarily fall very far in the draft, many analysts thought that even at the 7th overall selection that the Bills had taken him too high. Allen has proven his doubters wrong in the NFL as he’s become the Bills’ franchise quarterback, won an MVP, and is undoubtedly one of the best players currently in the league. He’s been able to improve upon his issues coming out of college and has expanded upon his strengths. Not all raw athletes fully develop, but Josh Allen has shown that ‘projects’ like himself can most definitely pan out. Players can also fall in the draft for not being ‘flashy’ enough. They might not make the eye-popping, Madden cover types of plays, but this doesn’t mean that they can’t get the job done. Sometimes scouts look for players that can give a team an identity and can bring league-wide attention to some unique aspect of a player, whether this is extreme confidence, a signature dance move, or elite characteristics. Cooper Kupp was not seen as a flashy prospect out of Eastern Washington. He wasn’t very fast, wasn’t an outstanding route runner, didn’t make show-stopping catches, and just wasn’t super exciting. Despite this, Kupp broke multiple FCS receiving records. The production was there; yet, he fell. Some say that this was also due to the level of competition that he faced in the FCS. Regardless, Kupp excelled with the Rams, winning Super Bowl MVP and Offensive Player of the Year. His reliability as a pass catcher and incredible consistency made him a top receiver in the NFL at the height of his career. Kupp’s slide to the third round was not indicative of his future in the NFL. Again, it isn’t every case that an unflashy player excels in the NFL, but Cooper Kupp proves that it is 100% possible. 

Media hype and exposure is a final reason as to why players fall in the draft. Sometimes the media can overhype a player so much that the draft stock of the player is inflated to the eyes of fans and analysts. Meanwhile, coaches and team scouts might view players very differently than how the media has portrayed them to be. This exact scenario happened with Johnny Manziel. ‘Johnny Football’ grabbed the hearts of the media due to his staggering moxy and swagger. The entire country was in love with his aggressive and unruly playstyle and hyped up Johnny Manziel as the next great NFL quarterback. His fame extended beyond football as he was frequently seen socializing with A-list celebrities. Manziel’s exposure to the world and to the media is a large reason why most people had him rated as a top quarterback in his draft class, while the immense talent wasn’t exactly there. Manziel’s arm strength was mediocre and he was only at his best when he improvised. Johnny Football would often unnecessarily leave pockets to make some ‘spectacular’ play, that if he had not left the pocket, would not have been viewed as spectacular. Manziel was also not very committed and serious about the sport and preferred to party, rather than prepare for future practices or upcoming games. While the media had made it out to be that Manziel could potentially be a top-10 selection, he fell to Cleveland at the 22nd overall pick. Among NFL circles, even this was probably seen as too high for Johnny Football. The media darling struggled right out of the gate in the NFL and continued having off-field issues. The media highly inflated the public’s perception of what Manziel’s talent expectations should be, and thus, he fell because actual talent evaluators did not buy into the media hype. This same phenomenon has been seen with other high-profile college athletes, with tons of media buzz, who end up fizzling out once they’re put to the test against legitimate NFL competition.

Johnny Manziel does his signature ‘money’ sign on-stage at the 2014 NFL Draft.

There are many other factors as to why a player might fall in the draft. Other reasons range from scheme fits to a poor Combine performance or even to rough team interviews; however, off-field issues, injury concerns, character concerns, play style, and media exposure are the most prevalent reasons why a player slides significantly in the draft. In most instances, the reason is very clear why a player might slide, but this isn’t always the case. It isn’t entirely clear why Shedeur Sanders fell as much as he did. Before Sanders, though, the most famous draft slide was Aaron Rodgers’ fall in 2005.

Aaron Rodgers had long been viewed as the potential first-overall pick to the San Francisco 49ers in the 2005 NFL Draft. The only real competition for this selection that Rodgers had was in Utah quarterback Alex Smith. Being from northern California and growing up a 49ers fan, Rodgers was fully expecting that San Francisco would select him; however, due to concerns about how Rodgers would fit into the system, the 49ers opted for Alex Smith instead. Rodgers, without a doubt, was the next best player available in that draft. Yet, he continued to slide past 22 other teams. Eventually, he landed in Green Bay and became one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time. The primary reason that these organizations decided to pass on Rodgers was team needs. Most of these teams in between San Francisco and Green Bay had more pressing needs than quarterback, and thus opted to draft at other positions. This fall served as motivation for Rodgers’ illustrious NFL career. When reporters asked him how disappointed he was that he didn’t end up in San Francisco, he replied by saying, “Not as disappointed as the 49ers will be that they didn’t draft me.” Aaron Rodgers’ confidence is something that he leaned on throughout his career. He was fully committed to his craft. Rodgers didn’t fall because of character concerns, off-field issues, or prior injuries; rather, he slid simply because of the way that the draft board fell. In the end, Green Bay was a place that Rodgers was able to grow and develop into a better overall quarterback behind Hall of Famer Brett Favre. He landed in an ideal situation to learn and improve, and that resulted in a Super Bowl victory alongside four MVP awards.

Now, where does Shedeur Sanders fit into all of this? Did he have off-field issues? No, he didn’t. Did he have injury concerns? No, he didn’t. Did he have a certain playstyle that concerned teams or was too reckless? No, not really. He may have tried to extend plays a little too long, but that’s about it. Was he not flashy enough for NFL scouts? No, he was definitely flashy enough. This narrows it down to character concerns and media exposure, both of which I believe to have had a huge impact on Shedeur Sanders’ colossal draft slide. That being said, it is my opinion that Shedeur’s situation is a bit unique. Why is it unique? My simple answer is his father: Deion Sanders.

Shedeur Sanders was originally a first-round projected quarterback. Almost all well-respected NFL analysts had him going in the first round, and if not in the first, then early in the second. His ability to play the position at a high level was not of concern; instead, other factors raised red flags among coaches and scouts. In his pre-draft interviews, Shedeur reportedly came across as entitled and unserious. According to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero, “One longtime NFL assistant coach said his time with Sanders was ‘the worst formal interview I’ve ever been in in my life. He’s so entitled. He takes unnecessary sacks. He never plays on time. He has horrible body language. He blames teammates… But the biggest thing is, he’s not that good.” According to The Ringer’s Todd McShay, things didn’t go very well for Shedeur in his visit with the New York Giants: “Shedeur didn’t have a great interview with Brian Daboll in a private visit… An install package came in. Preparation wasn’t there for it. [He] got called out on it. Didn’t like that. Brian didn’t appreciate him not liking it.” Essentially, if these reports are true, Shedeur’s arrogance, lack of preparation, and unwillingness to take criticism were his biggest downfalls. With that being said, these character traits don’t just come from nowhere, though. It is my assertion that Deion Sanders’ influence on Shedeur was the reason for his son’s unprecedented draft slide. 

Deion ‘Primetime’ Sanders is, without a doubt, one of the greatest NFL players of all time. He was great because of his outstanding athletic ability, though, not his humility or focus on the game. Deion exuded confidence as a player, but his lack of focus on football is evidenced by his desire to both play baseball and football professionally at the same time. He was never really able to fully commit himself to either sport, because he likely wanted to promote himself as an incredibly gifted multi-sport athlete. There’s nothing inherently wrong with this, because Deion’s athletic production countered his questionable commitment to football. This isn’t the same case with Shedeur. The young gunslinger definitely has talent, but not nearly the same amount that his father had. Shedeur’s confidence is not inherently a bad thing, but it’s his willingness to hear criticism from others and to be completely focused on the game of football that turned NFL coaches and scouts away. I think that it is a fair assumption to say that Deion being Shedeur’s father, coach, and role model has so much to do with these character concerns that coaches and scouts had with the quarterback out of Boulder. 

Shedeur Sanders’ father and head football coach, Deion Sanders, speaks to his son on the Colorado Buffaloes’ sideline.

Shedeur has not been able to display his humility as a player. At the NFL Combine, which he did not participate in, Sanders told reporters that “If you’re not trying to change the franchise and culture… don’t get me.” To organizations, this comes across as Shedeur attempting to dictate what team he was going to go play for, and teams likely did not take that statement too kindly. It is okay to be confident, but players should be able to acknowledge their faults and strive to improve. Jalen Milroe, who was selected ahead of Shedeur Sanders by the Seattle Seahawks, did just that and will now sit behind Sam Darnold so that he can develop into a more well-polished passer. 

Another reason why Deion had a large part to play in Shedeur’s draft slide was that he essentially acted as his agent. Deion is highly respected in NFL circles because of what he did on the field and because of his sociable personality. Because of this, I believe that it can be assumed that when Deion asked how Shedeur’s interviews were going, scouts and coaches likely sugar coated it and told him that everything was going just fine. This way they would not upset an NFL legend in Deion Sanders. An agent should be able to tell their client the truth. I don’t believe that Deion was able to do that for Shedeur. So how would he be able to improve in any future interviews without critical feedback? Further, as Shedeur’s agent, Deion even said “Yeah, but I’m not going to do it publicly” when asked if he would get involved if the wrong organization was considering drafting his son. He explicitly stated that he would attempt to sway a team from not taking Shedeur if he didn’t think that it was the right destination. I’d imagine that most organizations did not appreciate this remark, as essentially every front office has the free will to select whomever they’d like to in the NFL Draft. Moreover, they likely don’t want their quarterback’s father doing all the talking for them. It gives a sense of entitlement that really rubs teams the wrong way in the pre-draft process. 

I think an assertion can also be made that coaches and executives on the hot seat might be fearful of losing their jobs if they are not successful and Shedeur is riding the bench. This would be the case because Deion Sanders has proven that he can coach successfully at the collegiate level. He was able to rally a dead program to a winning record and get them to play competitive football. Most owners would likely see this as enough evidence to take a flyer on Deion as a potential head coaching replacement. With Shedeur sitting and the team losing, Deion could potentially openly criticize the coaching staff, stirring up drama in the media. Most coaches, executives, and ownership groups want to steer clear of this. The less negative media exposure there is for a franchise, the better.

Lastly, the media likely overhyped Shedeur Sanders’ talent. Being the son of an NFL superstar and having loads of confidence will naturally cause the media to focus their attention on someone. While this alone would not cause Shedeur to fall to the fifth round, it definitely played a part. Shedeur is undoubtedly a talented athlete, but he still has glaring flaws as a passer. He extends plays too long and, in result, will take unnecessary sacks. He also isn’t exactly very aware in the pocket and sometimes gets rid of the ball too late. He was not by any means a surefire first-round draft pick, like the media hyped him up to be. There was an extremely high possibility that Shedeur would be selected in the second round. With that being said, no one expected that he would be a third-day selection. It will be up to Shedeur and his performance in the league to determine whether his draft slide was warranted or not. He will need to compete with three other quarterbacks in Cleveland for the starting job, and beat out at least one to even have a chance at cracking the 53-man roster. This will be a tough task for the rookie, as Joe Flacco, Kenny Pickett, and Dillon Gabriel will all be given legitimate opportunities to show that they have what it takes to meaningfully contribute to the Cleveland Browns this season. Sometimes these ‘shocking’ draft slides are completely justified and other times they are not. The NFL world won’t really know what the answer will be in Sanders’ case until he comes onto the scene. Until then, we’ll just have to sit and wait.