From potential QB1 to out of the first two rounds of the 2025 NFL Draft entirely, Green Bay hasn’t been a pleasant destination for Shedeur Sanders. After it was nearly unanimously believed that the son of Deion Sanders would be a first-round pick, his NFL Draft freefall seemingly has no end in sight. Is it possible Sanders could go undrafted?
Is There a Chance Shedeur Sanders Isn’t Drafted?
For most of the pre-draft process, it felt like Sanders would land in the top three, with all three teams — the Tennessee Titans, Cleveland Browns, and Giants — in desperate need of a quarterback to man the offense. However, once his stock dipped, two other potential landing spots emerged.
First, the New Orleans Saints, after losing Derek Carr to a shoulder injury (potentially for the entire 2025 season), were a possible option at No. 9. Then, the Pittsburgh Steelers at No. 21, as they still try to find stability post-Ben Roethlisberger under center. But neither of those teams took him either, leading many to believe that the clock was reset in the second round, especially with the Browns holding No. 33.
In the second round, however, there was no love for Sanders. Instead, the situation became even worse, with another quarterback coming off the board in the form of Tyler Shough at No. 40 to the Saints.
Then, in the third round, Sanders’ nightmare scenario played out. Two other quarterbacks came off the board: the Seattle Seahawks selected Alabama QB Jalen Milroe at No. 92 overall and the Browns selected Oregon QB Dillon Gabriel at No. 94. Five QBs have now been drafted before Sanders (counting first-round picks Cam Ward and Jaxson Dart).
MORE:Â 2025 NFL Draft Grades
Now, Sanders is still on the board entering Day 3, and then who knows how much further he’ll slide? He has fallen so far that there are questions about whether he’ll go undrafted and some NFL insiders are even urging him to consider a return to college football.
Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer argued that teams may not want Sanders as a backup QB given the circus and distractions that come with him.
“Shedeur Sanders fell out of the first round because of talent and performance. He’s still available now because of everything else,” Breer posted. “At this point of the draft, teams are looking for depth and developmental players. If you’re taken in the third round or fourth round or fifth round, you’re going to be working in the background. That would make Shedeur a backup quarterback. Backup QBs need to blend with in the furniture.
“It’s why Tim Tebow and Colin Kaepernick, and even guys like Jay Cutler and Cam Newton had trouble extending their careers—if those guys weren’t going to start for you, you’d probably rather just have the anonymous guy who’d support the starter and make ZERO headlines. Backup quarterback is a different job than starting quarterback, which is why the NFL’s collective two-deep isn’t just a list of the 64 best QBs on the planet.
“Can Shedeur be the developmental guy, who’s going to be all-in on his team, and quietly go about his business? Maybe. But he’s never had to do that, and the way his pre-draft process has been handled casts a lot of doubt on it. So I don’t know who stops his fall, but I think it’ll have to be someone who can draw hard lines with him.”
This is one of the most shocking storylines in NFL Draft history and it has left people confused, or in some cases, downright angry. Even President Donald Trump voiced his displeasure about Sanders’ drop.
With the entire world watching, when will Sanders’ name get called? Will it be called?
Sanders’ NFL Draft Scouting Report
Sanders is an accurate and tough quarterback with a well-built frame and plenty of throws, hitting his targets in stride from each deep third of the field. He has a good enough arm to execute throws to targets in tight windows, and there’s a natural sense of timing that tells him where to place the ball right where only his receivers can get it.
That said, there’s some mental development that needs to take place for Sanders. He’s shown that he’s capable of making full-field reads, but he tends to play Superman when he doesn’t have the raw physical talent to make that work.
His arm, though acceptable, isn’t particularly special. He’s not a statue in the pocket, but his athleticism is average. These issues can see him try too hard to extend plays that he simply can’t make, resulting in sacks or poor throws.
Compared to the quarterbacks in the 2024 NFL Draft, I would argue Sanders would come in seventh as a prospect, ranking behind each of the six quarterbacks selected in the first round.
Sanders arguably has the highest floor of any quarterback in the class, and he has the tools to become a solid starter in the NFL. In the right system, he could lead a team to a playoff run.
Because of average physical tools, the ceiling likely does not go much further than that. There are also concerns about his attitude, as some teams view him as arrogant and didn’t appreciate how Sanders carried himself throughout the pre-draft process.
However, a respectable starting quarterback is a valuable asset in today’s game, which should see him selected at some point early in Day 3.
