The 2025 NFL Draft continued on Friday with Rounds 2 and 3.
Here are four questions we have entering the fourth round, led by the story that has overtaken the weekend.
How much farther can Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders slide?
It’s the most shocking fall in NFL Draft history. Several analysts considered Sanders the second-best quarterback in the 2025 class. Based on the position’s importance, it wouldn’t have been absurd to think Sanders could have been a first-round pick. There was certainly no way he’d fall to Day 3 and below Oregon quarterback Dillon Gabriel. Right?
We couldn’t have been more wrong.
Entering Saturday, Sanders is not only the most notable draft-eligible player remaining, but he’s also the best.
That doesn’t mean he’ll hear his name called within the first picks, with the Titans, Jaguars, Giants and Patriots holding the first five selections (Jacksonville has two). Could the Raiders (No. 108 overall) or Jets (No. 110 overall) kick the tires on Sanders? Both teams have new starting quarterbacks for 2025 and might not want to create a spectacle by drafting him.
The Steelers hold the 21st pick (No. 123 overall) of the fourth round. Will they sign off on picking Sanders then, or choose another quarterback? Or are they serious about starting Mason Rudolph?
After how Friday unfolded, we have more questions than answers. The one thing that is clearer now than when the day began is that Sanders’ fall has more to do with teams’ personal issues than his talent. For a league that will tolerate a lot, it’s preposterous that it’s drawing the line at Sanders.
Which other quarterback can go ahead of Sanders?
With Gabriel and Alabama’s Jalen Milroe being selected ahead of Sanders, we suppose anything is possible, including more quarterbacks hearing their name called ahead of the NCAA’s all-time completion percentage leader.
Ohio State quarterback Will Howard has fans and will likely be remembered fondly for winning the 2024 national title. Syracuse quarterback Kyle McCord led the nation in passing, ending the 2024 season 391-of-592 (66 percent) for 4,779 yards, 34 touchdowns, and 12 interceptions.
Despite watching in the draft in a deeply unsettling room, even Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers could go ahead of Sanders at this point.
