Sanders falls to day 3 of NFL draft
GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) — Shedeur Sanders is still waiting — after three rounds of the NFL draft, 102 picks and five quarterbacks selected ahead of Coach Prime’s highly touted son.
The Colorado quarterback was widely considered a first-round talent. But his stunning slide continued Friday night when his name wasn’t called in the second or third round.
Sanders was arguably the most recognizable player in the country entering the draft — largely because of his father, Deion Sanders, the Pro Football Hall of Famer who brought an innovative, publicity-seeking approach to college coaching at Jackson State and then Colorado. Shedeur Sanders played for his dad at both schools and finished eighth in Heisman Trophy voting last season as the pair revitalized the Buffaloes program.
NFL talent evaluators were apparently less impressed than draft analysts realized. Few if any mock drafts had Jaxson Dart, Tyler Shough, Jalen Milroe or Dillon Gabriel getting picked before Sanders, but that’s what happened.
“Thank you GOD for EVERYTHING,” Sanders posted on X during the third round.
Wherever he ends up, Sanders will make millions of dollars less than he would have if he’d been selected in the first round. For example, if he’d gone to the quarterback-needy Pittsburgh Steelers at No. 21 overall, he’d be in line for an $18 million contract. A fourth-round pick can expect a rookie deal worth between $4.9 million and $5.3 million.
President Donald Trump mused in a social media post that teams were “STUPID” for passing on Sanders — after Thursday’s first round.
Sanders initially was rated by some draft analysts as a better QB prospect than Miami’s Cam Ward, who ultimately went No. 1 overall to Tennessee. But as the draft drew closer, concerns began to emerge.
One issue: Sanders was sacked 94 times over his last two college seasons. There also were worries about his arm strength and questions about how well he would adapt to playing for someone other than his dad. And given his high profile, teams might be reluctant to pick him if they view him as a backup.
For a few moments Thursday, it appeared Sanders’ wait might be over when the New York Giants traded up to the 25th pick, but the team opted for Dart out of Mississippi.
The lone quarterback selection of Friday’s second round came when New Orleans passed on Sanders in favor of Shough, a 25-year-old who finished his college career at Louisville after stops at Oregon and Texas Tech. Shough was chosen 40th overall.
Saints veteran quarterback Derek Carr has what general manager Mickey Loomis described as a “shoulder issue,” leaving his availability uncertain heading into offseason workouts.
The Seattle Seahawks took Milroe out of Alabama in the third round with the 92nd overall pick. Two picks later, the Cleveland Browns selected Gabriel, who played at Oregon last year after stints at Central Florida and Oklahoma.
Cleveland had five picks in the first three rounds and has a clear need at quarterback after the team got little production out of Deshaun Watson, who will miss the upcoming season with a torn Achilles tendon. Gabriel joins Kenny Pickett and 40-year-old Joe Flacco in the Browns’ quarterback room.
Pittsburgh was also considered a potential landing spot for Sanders, who visited the Steelers’ facility before the draft. The Steelers’ only quarterbacks are Mason Rudolph and Skylar Thompson following the offseason departures of Russell Wilson and Justin Fields.
The Steelers took Oregon defensive lineman Derrick Harmon with the 21st overall pick Thursday. They didn’t have a second-round pick, but Sanders was still available when their turn came again in the third round.
Pittsburgh instead used the 83rd overall pick on Iowa running back Kaleb Johnson.