Shedeur Sanders, the polarising Colorado quarterback and son of Hall of Famer Deion Sanders, endured a painful fall out of the first round of the NFL draft on Thursday night. After being projected as a potential first-round pick, Sanders watched as team after team passed him over, leaving him to wait until the second day of the draft.
Only two quarterbacks were selected in the first round: Cam Ward at No 1 and Jaxson Dart at No 26. The Browns, Giants, Steelers and Raiders all opted for defensive players or linemen, despite their need for a quarterback. ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr made impassioned pleas on air for someone to draft Sanders, but to no avail.
Speaking at his draft watch party, Sanders said: “We all didn’t expect this, of course. I don’t feel like this happened for no reason. All this is fuel to the fire. We all know this shouldn’t have happened. But we’re on to bigger and better things.”
Analysts pointed to Sanders’s weaknesses: he lacks elite arm strength, holds the ball too long, and played in a gimmicky offence at Colorado while throwing to the best receiver in the country. However, much of the criticism came from anonymous scouts and executives, who labelled him “entitled”, “brash” and “arrogant” in leaked reports. Fox Sports’ Joel Klatt called the anonymous leaks “trash”, saying they represent everything he dislikes about the draft.
Sanders’s slide was more a product of a weak quarterback class and inflated pre-draft narratives than a true reflection of his talent. He will now be selected on day two, likely by a team that has already addressed its biggest needs.
