Reports hinting that multiple NFL teams were turned off by how Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders handled himself leading up to the 2025 NFL Draft were seemingly proved correct when he remained on the board through the end of the third round.
NFL Draft writer Nick Baumgardner of The Athletic is among those who have since said that Sanders and his camp should blame themselves for a draft slide that possibly could have been avoided.
“The only people who seemed confident Sanders would be a top 10 selection in this draft were Sanders and his agents/PR team,” Baumgardner wrote. “He had opportunities at the Shrine Bowl and the combine to compete and prove he was ready to lead an NFL team right away next season, and he opted against both — instead claiming his college tape was all NFL teams needed to see. It wasn’t, and frankly, his approach to this predraft process should be a lesson in what not to do for future quarterbacks. You cannot simply declare yourself something you aren’t and hope nobody checks you on it.”
At this point, it’d be silly to pretend rumors claiming Sanders “hit the wrong notes” in interviews with some teams during the combine were without substance. An article published this past Tuesday shared quotes from a “longtime NFL assistant coach” and a “longtime AFC executive” who said Sanders completed “the worst formal interview I’ve ever been in in my life,” is “entitled” and “makes you feel small.”
In a different piece, one unnamed NFC quarterbacks coach suggested Sanders deserved “a sixth-round” grade, while an NFC coordinator compared the polarizing prospect to 2024 fifth-round draft pick Spencer Rattler.
Meanwhile, NFL Draft analyst and league insider Todd McShay of The Ringer reported on Thursday that Sanders’ recent visit with New York Giants head coach Brian Daboll “did not go particularly well,” as there was “some frustration between the two regarding Sanders’ preparation of an install package.” The Giants made a trade on Thursday to select Ole Miss quarterback Jaxson Dart at pick No. 25.
“The reality here is that Sanders is a good football player,” Baumgardner continued, “a quality prospect and someone who could eventually turn into a functional starter so long as he’s surrounded by talent and a strong offensive line. But the questions about his arm talent, size, pocket processing and general over-confidence were very real.”
Retired player and current NFL analyst Merril Hoge previously mentioned some of those questions, explaining that he felt Sanders would “be an epic failure” and set the franchise “back another two or three years.” For an article posted on Friday morning, The Athletic’s Jeff Howe shared that clubs “were more concerned with Sanders’ talent than anything off the field.”
Howe added that “some said the personality nitpicks wouldn’t be an issue if [Sanders] had put together better tape.” One evaluator told Howe that Sanders would have gotten “a third-round grade in a year with better QB prospects.”
What Sanders says and does after he’s drafted could potentially impact how he’s seen in the first NFL locker room of his career. Perhaps he will be helped by the fact that he has a relationship with Las Vegas Raiders minority owner Tom Brady, who was the 199th pick of the 2000 draft long before he became a future Pro Football Hall of Famer.
