NFL Draft: ESPN star outlines Shedeur Sanders’ inexplicable fall

The opening round of the 2025 NFL Draft brought its fair share of surprises, but Sheduer Sanders’ plummet was arguably the most significant event of the night.

On Friday, the Sanders saga transformed from surprising to effectively inexplicable. 

Every team, including the franchises that entered this year’s draft with question marks at the quarterback position, passed on selecting the former Colorado quarterback in the first, second, or third round. Since Thursday, many figures in the sports world and beyond have shared thoughts about why Sanders fell down draft boards.

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Shedeur Sanders looks on at his jersey retirement ceremony during Colorado’s NCAA college football spring game, Saturday, April 19, 2025, in Boulder, Colo.  (AP Photo/Jack Dempsey)

ESPN’s Pete Thamel is among that group. According to Thamel’s conversations with several teams, Sanders’ free fall could largely be attributed to the evaluation of his talent.

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“I talked to about half a dozen teams today. . . . They just thought that he wasn’t a first-round talent and a first-round player,” Thamel said on Friday.

Pete Thamel attends 11th Annual Allstate Party At the Playoff at Pullman Yards on January 18, 2025, in Atlanta, Georgia. (Carol Lee Rose/Getty Images)

Thamel added that some teams questioned Sanders’ overall athleticism.

“They wanted to see him more throwing in rhythm. They wanted to see him show a little bit more athleticism. He’s considered a mediocre athlete who didn’t have enough film that they thought immediately translated.”

Nov. 29, 2024; Boulder, Colorado: Colorado Buffaloes quarterback Shedeur Sanders (2) takes a hike in the first quarter against the Oklahoma State Cowboys at Folsom Field. (Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images)

While Friday’s second round came and went without Sanders’ name coming off the board, NFL teams bypassing the quarterback position in the early portion of day two has been a trend the last couple of years.

Just one quarterback has been selected in round two of the NFL Draft since 2023, Thamel added.

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Sanders remained available once the fourth round concluded on Saturday afternoon.

Sanders finished the 2024 season with 4,134 passing yards. He is the son of Pro Football Hall of Famer and Colorado football head coach Deion Sanders.

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