The 2025 NFL Draft brought plenty of surprises, but few were louder than the silence surrounding Shedeur Sanders through the first four rounds. While fans were stunned, many insiders saw the slide coming, pointing to red flags that had been building for months.
Now, analysts are unpacking the reasons behind Sanders’ dramatic drop in draft stock. One of the loudest voices is Hall of Fame wide receiver Cris Carter, who didn’t hold back. According to Carter, Shedeur — and his father, Deion Sanders — have no one to blame but themselves.
Cris Carter: Shedeur and Deion Sanders Are To Blame for Draft Slide
Coming from someone drafted in Round 4 of the 1987 NFL Draft, Carter was positive that the dramatic draft slide stemmed from the father-son duo overestimating Shedeur’s draft stock before he even declared.
Deion had been vocal in the months — and even the whole year — leading up to the draft that his camp would be particular about which teams Shedeur would go to.
From meeting with select teams to skipping on-field workouts at the East-West Shrine Bowl and the NFL Scouting Combine to comments about pulling an Eli Manning-esque move to decide where his son lands, teams seemed to be rubbed the wrong way by the pre-draft process.
Making matters worse, the former Colorado quarterback made bold claims during his NFL Combine interviews, and there were reports stemming from the event that he had left some coaches with a bad impression.
“Shedeur and his family, they overplayed their hand,” Carter said on his podcast “Fully Loaded.”
“Them thinking that he was in the same evaluation mode as Eli Manning, they didn’t play that right. Them trying to narrow the teams that he was going to go to; that didn’t do right. Not working out at the Combine, that wasn’t the right thing. His interview process, obviously, could have done a lot better in that.”
Carter specified that several teams had walked out on Sanders’ interview at the NFL Combine. Even his interviews with the teams were a hot mess.
Per Todd McShay’s report, Sanders “didn’t have a great interview” with the New York Giants head coach Brian Daboll. Daboll called Sanders out for not being prepared enough, which doused all possibilities of the Giants drafting Sanders at No. 3.
“He hadn’t even convinced people that you’re the face of our franchise. Matter of fact, he had convinced people that they were better off on a different direction, even with people who have lesser talent. He threw away at least $30-$50 million,” Carter said.
Carter also pointed out that Sanders was not a physically imposing presence at quarterback either, which puts him behind prospects who are more mobile or have ideal size. At 6’2″ and 215 pounds, Sanders’ measurements are average for an NFL quarterback, and he might not have the requisite arm strength or arm talent to compensate.
Beyond his frame, Sanders’ lack of elite athleticism and high-level arm strength typically expected of top-tier quarterbacks made him a tough bet against players like Jaxson Dart, Cam Ward, or even Jalen Milroe. His tendency to drift in the pocket and play too lightly on his feet only added to concerns, especially after these issues were heavily criticized during Colorado’s pro day workouts.
“They taught him a great lesson. You don’t have this figured out. Your dad doesn’t have this figured out,” Carter said exasperatedly. How Sanders’ NFL career pans out will decide whether he learned his lesson or not.