Something fishy is going on here…
We all know the stories of big-name draft day slides like Aaron Rodgers, Lamar Jackson and Will Levis, but it may not be hyperbolic to say what’s happening with Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders is the biggest slide in the history of the NFL Draft.
Sanders was nearly unanimously projected as a first-round pick, most often to either the New Orleans Saints or the Pittsburgh Steelers. After the end of Day 1, only two quarterbacks had been selected—and Sanders wasn’t one of them.
Heading into Day 2 of the draft on Friday night, which included the second and third-round selections, it seemed like a given that Sanders would be one of the first players off the board. The ABC broadcast even featured Sanders in its intro for the night, saying the Colorado quarterback would be selected in the coming hours.
That’s not exactly how things unfolded.
The second round kicked off with quarterback-needy teams like Cleveland, Seattle and Las Vegas all opting to select players at other positions. When New Orleans went on the clock with the No. 9 pick of the second round, it seemed inevitable Sanders would be selected. Instead, the Saints chose another quarterback: Tyler Shough of Louisville.
Shough’s selection over Sanders sent shock waves through the football world, but it initially felt like a fluke that would soon be rectified. 24 more picks came and went in the second round, and Sanders still hadn’t heard his name called.
Sanders’ slide into the third round felt unprecedented. He was nearly unanimously viewed as the second-best quarterback available in this year’s draft. Even Mel Kiper Jr. had Sanders ranked as his No. 1 quarterback ahead of eventual first overall pick Cam Ward. It seemed inevitable that quarterback-needy teams still searching for one would jump at the chance to draft Sanders early in round three.
The third round is where things went from bad to worse. Cleveland, Las Vegas and the New York Jets all held early third-round picks, and Sanders felt like a shoo-in for all three if he fell to them. But once again, all three teams passed.
The Pittsburgh Steelers, picking 83rd overall, seemed like Sanders’ most likely landing spot. After all, Sanders had multiple meetings with Steelers executives that reportedly went well, and he spoke glowingly about his meeting with head coach Mike Tomlin. But when Pittsburgh turned in its pick, the card read Kaleb Johnson, a running back from Iowa.
At that point, it became crystal clear that something bizarre was happening between Sanders and NFL front offices. This was a quarterback widely considered the second-best prospect in the country. Did NFL teams know something about Sanders that the public and media didn’t? Was he being blackballed for his confident and boisterous personality? Both were valid questions swirling around the football world after Pittsburgh passed on him.
Just when it seemed things couldn’t get any weirder, the impossible happened. The next pick where Sanders could have landed was the Raiders at No. 92. Instead, the Raiders traded the pick to Seattle, and the Seahawks selected another quarterback: Jalen Milroe of Alabama.
Four quarterbacks had officially come off the board, and none of them were named Shedeur Sanders. Just as a final stab in the back, the Cleveland Browns selected Oregon quarterback Dillon Gabriel, bumping the number to five. Eight more picks came and went, including two back-to-back selections by the Raiders, but the second day of the NFL Draft concluded without Sanders’ name being called.
What happened Friday night is inexplicable. There is no possible explanation for why Sanders has fallen to the third day of the draft.
Maybe league executives didn’t like how Sanders conducted himself in the run-up to the draft, opting to sit out both the Shrine Bowl and the NFL Combine. Maybe Sanders said something wrong in an interview and word spread across the league. Maybe teams just don’t believe he can be successful at the next level. No one can be certain.
One thing is clear: something about Shedeur Sanders is scaring off NFL teams in a major way. As festivities conclude in Green Bay, the entire football world will be searching for answers. But for now, much like Sanders over these past two nights, we’ll have to wait.