So, like, the NFL Draft was just full of surprises this year, especially with Shedeur Sanders, you know, the guy with the famous dad, Deion Sanders. Everyone was kind of expecting him to be snagged up real quick, but, shocker, he wasn’t in that glorified first round at all. He just kept, like, sliding down the charts, and I couldn’t help but imagine him just sitting there, waiting. Honestly, it’s nerve-wracking even to think about.
Only a couple of quarterbacks were picked up in round one. Tennessee Titans went for Cam Ward from Miami as their first choice, and then there was Ole Miss’ Jaxson Dart scooped up by the New York Giants at pick 25 or something. There were rumors that the New Orleans Saints were eyeing a QB like a hawk — possibly Sanders himself — but they went off in some other direction entirely, picking up Kelvin Banks Jr. from Texas for their offensive line. Makes you wonder if they changed their minds last minute. Steelers, too, supposedly QB-hungry, bypassed the chance on Sanders and popped for Derrick Harmon from Oregon. There’s some irony in this madness, right?
In this awkward after-party video on his dad’s Instagram, Shedeur talks about, well, everything being possible with God. Of course, it’s raw and optimistic, saying this is just a stepping stone or some sort of “fuel to the fire” kinda pep-talk. Seeing him keep that legendary Sanders chin up? It’s almost poetic, isn’t it?
All these predictions, though. Experts had Sanders pegged as a first-rounder, and all the mock drafts, like The Athletic’s Dane Brugler, seemed to echo that, saying he’d go to the Steelers. But then bam! Sanders was nowhere on the latest first-round lists. Was it that lack of a combine appearance that spooked everyone? Or was something else happening behind the scenes that we regular folks don’t get to see?
Brugler had mentioned Sanders was a complete wild card, which honestly sounds right. Could go high, could drop like a stone, and either way wouldn’t be surprising to anyone. And the Giants, they had a secret meet-up with Sanders — kinda whispers and smoke here — at Boulder earlier this month, fueling that whole gossip mill. But then they didn’t pick him; they picked Abdul Carter in that mysterious edge rusher role. Like, what were they really after?
Sanders had an epic college career. If stats were all you needed, he would’ve been picked first. Started out at Jackson State, moved to Colorado, and was this solid beacon, basically a constant in his ol’ dad’s team. Racked up over 14,000 yards and did some serious damage on the field with those 134 touchdowns. His completion rate was killer too! Then we had Travis Hunter, his brother Shilo’s buddy if legends hold true, getting nabbed by the Jaguars at No. 2. Talk about overshadowing, though.
I guess there was this huge buildup about Sanders being a top ten shoe-in. Was it his agents hyping it all? Honestly, he skipped a lot of pre-draft showdowns, thinking his college game tapes were all he needed. Eep, that backfired, huh? Future players better take notes. You can’t go around assuming people won’t scratch beneath the surface. Despite the noise, he’s still got what it takes to be good with the right coach and team.
What’s next for Sanders? Well, anyone’s guess. Lots of teams with QB needs did seem interested — or claimed to be. But I dunno, he kinda feels like a Bo Nix in potential or, worst case, falling into Kenny Pickett territory if things don’t align right. And now with Cleveland Browns up first in the second round, if they pass, he could end up with the Raiders, Saints, or Jets. But this is all still up in the air, isn’t it?
(Photo: Justin Casterline / Getty Images)
