There are many layers to why quarterback Shedeur Sanders had a precipitous drop in the 2025 NFL Draft.
The quarterback was forecasted by many to go in the first-round after he set Colorado single-season records for passing yards, completions, attempts, touchdowns, completion percentage and quarterback rating last year.
Yet, Sanders didn’t hear his name called until the Cleveland Browns selected him in the fifth round of the 2025 NFL Draft, ending a lengthier-than-expected wait.
Even with the production and the talent, there was still a question after he tumbled down draft boards all the way to Saturday afternoon: Why did Sanders slide to Round 5?
USA TODAY Sports spoke to several individuals around the NFL to investigate why Sanders fell to the 144th overall pick in the fifth round of the draft.
Why did Shedeur Sanders fall in the draft?
Overall ability as an NFL quarterback
Despite Sanders’ success at Jackson State and Colorado, many NFL teams didn’t view him as a top quarterback prospect.
“He’s a really good quarterback but doesn’t have traits that jump off the chart,” former NFL All-Pro running back and current NFL Network analyst Maurice Jones-Drew told USA TODAY Sports. “Doesn’t mean he’s not good, but he’s not the fastest and doesn’t have the strongest arm.”
Arm strength and mobility are considered two of Sanders’ main weaknesses when evaluating him as an NFL quarterback prospect. He completed just 47% of his passes beyond 20 yards and 68% of his passes between 10-19 yards at Colorado last season. He also completed 54% of his passes when under pressure last year.
Sanders was sacked 94 times in two seasons at Colorado, the most in FBS during that span.
Interview process
There were several reports leading up to the draft that criticized Sanders’ draft interview process. CBS Sports reported that Sanders’ spiral down the draft reflects how he carried himself during the process. The Ringer reported Sanders had a poor interview with the New York Giants, a team that ultimately selected quarterback Jaxson Dart in the first round.
“I’m not going to get into [that],” Giants general manager Joe Schoen told reporters Friday after reports surfaced about Sanders unfavorable meeting.
An anonymous NFL assistant coach told NFL Network his meeting with Sanders was ‘the worst formal interview’ he ever had.
‘Is the juice worth the squeeze? And when the juice has some flaws, the squeeze of managing the personality and dad equal it not being worth it in a lot of instances,’ an NFL agent told USA TODAY Sports. The agent spoke on condition of anonymity because they don’t represent Sanders.
Furthermore, Sanders declined to play at the East-West Shrine Bowl and elected not to participate in drills at the NFL combine. Each event can impact a prospect’s draft status.
“It’s important to remember that it’s still a job interview when we’re going through the pre-draft process and as clubs are evaluating a potential face of the franchise. It’s important for a QB to look the part and present himself in a certain way,” an NFL agent told USA TODAY Sports. They spoke on condition of anonymity because they don’t represent Sanders.
Sanders’ own admission shows he may have second thoughts about how he handled the entirety of the pre-draft process.
‘I feel like in life, there’s always a way I can improve. I’m able to improve. And some things that I [did] that seemed right at the time, I could’ve went about it a different way,’ he said.
Lack of traditional agent
Sanders doesn’t have a traditional certified NFL agent. His Hall of Famer father, Deion, guides him.
‘His father has a strong presence in his life. And not to mention he has been through this process. I think a lot of people are intimidated by that,’ former NFL defensive end Hugh Douglas said to USA TODAY Sports.
A prominent NFL agent told USA TODAY Sports that Sanders’ choice not to have a traditional agent is “self-serving.’ They spoke on condition of anonymity because they don’t represent the QB.
A traditional agent could’ve informed Sanders of his draft stock or helped him improve his standing.
It’s worth noting there are other NFL players who don’t have traditional agents. For example, two-time NFL MVP Lamar Jackson represents himself, as does 10-time Pro Bowler Bobby Wagner to name a few notable players.
The Deion Sanders effect
Like father, like son?
Deion Sanders is regarded as the best cornerback in NFL history. He’s a Hall of Famer, two-time Super Bowl champion, six-time first-team All-Pro, eight-time Pro Bowler and was the recipient of the NFL Defensive Player of the Year award in 1994. He was one of the most charismatic, flashy and confident athletes in league history, too.
The same charisma, flash and confidence has followed him into his coaching career. It’s part of the reason why he’s always in the limelight.
The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree – Shedeur harbors a similar personality.
“Shedeur has moxy. He’s loud, he’s arrogant, he’s flashy and he’s proud,” a college football coach told USA TODAY Sports. They spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the matter.
Why was Shedeur Sanders projected to be top draft pick by pundits?
Sometimes perception isn’t reality. One NFL agent told USA TODAY Sports that many reporters have about four or five sources and often times don’t have a great sense of how the entire NFL views draft prospects.
“In terms of Shedeur’s pre-draft projection, there’s a lot of amateur scouting in the media and there’s a lot of misinformation that comes from clubs and agents. Given Shedeur’s notoriety, there’s a greater probability of misinformation because it’s low-hanging fruit for information seekers,” another NFL agent told USA TODAY Sports. The agent spoke on a condition of anonymity because he doesn’t represent Sanders.
The consensus was this year’s QB draft class wasn’t strong. Several evaluators pegged Sanders as a second-round prospect. Teams differ in their draft evaluations and have contrasting boards.
‘I can’t speak to why the market priced him the way it did,’ Browns general manager Andrew Berry said to reporters Saturday. ‘We had our own internal evaluation in terms of how we view the skillset and the quality of the player.’
My take
It’s apparent there were several factors on and off the field that contributed to when Sanders was draft.
Sanders doesn’t have the strongest arm nor is he a very mobile quarterback. Despite those limitations, he’s an accurate passer when protected and a good distributor of the football. His records at Colorado validate that. Plus, he was viewed as a leader among his teammates. I ranked him as the second best quarterback prospect in this year’s draft behind No. 1 overall pick Cam Ward.
Sanders perceived arrogance shouldn’t be criticized as long as he has respect for others. However, poor interviews can negatively impact a player’s draft status. It’s a necessity for all athletes to have some level of confidence and or arrogance to be successful. A big part of being a top athlete is psychological. I know this as a former athlete.
The Sanders name does come with notoriety, but that can be channeled as a positive under the proper guidance.
Sometimes a team and an environment can determine a player’s level of success in the NFL. Sanders is in a situation where he can earn the starting job in Year 1 given the state of the Browns’ quarterback room.
The Browns enter the next phase of the offseason without a clear-cut QB1. Aside from Sanders, they have Joe Flacco, Kenny Pickett, rookie third-round pick Dillon Gabriel and an injured Deshaun Watson on their roster.
‘It wasn’t necessarily the plan going into the weekend to select two quarterbacks, but we do believe in best player available. We do believe in positional value. We didn’t necessarily expect him to be available in the fifth round,” Berry said.
“We love adding competition to every position room. And adding him to compete with the guys that are already in there, we felt like that was the appropriate thing to do.”
The good news for Sanders? He’s got an opportunity to prove his naysayers wrong with the opportunity from Cleveland – even if that came in the fifth round instead of the first.
“I’m extremely grateful for the opportunity, throughout everything,” Sanders said to reporters after being drafted by Cleveland.
“I don’t ever focus on the negative or even think about the negative, because the positive happened so fast.”
Follow USA TODAY Sports’ Tyler Dragon on X @TheTylerDragon.