Shedeur Sanders went from top-overall-pick candidate to Day 3 selection in the 2025 NFL Draft. The Cleveland Browns finally ended his unprecedented draft-day slide by taking him with the No. 144 pick in the fifth round.
But why did Sanders slip so far after being discussed as a likely first-round pick throughout the pre-draft process? NFL Draft expert Todd McShay recently revealed why one team, the New York Giants, removed him from their draft board.
Todd McShay Explains What Went Wrong Between Giants and Shedeur Sanders
Writing in an April 24 pre-draft edition of “The McShay Report,” McShay explained why the Giants soured on Sanders during the pre-draft process.
“A few months ago, the idea that Shedeur Sanders could fall out of the top 10 seemed inconceivable,” McShay wrote. “But with just a few hours until the draft kicks off in Green Bay, league sources I’ve spoken to are expecting him to slide. … I’ve heard from two different sources that his visit with head coach Brian Daboll did not go particularly well.
“The friction centered on some frustration between the two regarding Sanders’ preparation of an install package. It seems the interview process as a whole — beginning in Indianapolis, as I reported a few days after the Combine — has negatively affected the leaguewide perception of Sanders during the lead-up to this year’s draft.”
McShay elaborated on what happened during an episode of his podcast “The McShay Show.”
“Shedeur’s not in play at No. 3; Shedeur’s not in play with the New York Giants [at all] as far as I’m told. Shedeur didn’t have a great interview with Brian Daboll in a private visit. An install package came in, the preparation wasn’t there for it. [Shedeur] got called out on it, didn’t like that. Brian didn’t appreciate him not liking it. … The interviews did not go well.”
Sanders’ personality rubbed some people the wrong way throughout the pre-draft process. Sanders admitted that during his team visits, he was interviewing executives just as much as they were interviewing him, and that didn’t sit well with everyone.
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“When I go visit these coaches and when I go to all these different franchises, I ask them truly what I think and how I feel,” Sanders said. “Some get offended, some like it, some don’t. [I] make some people uncomfortable, some people invite that.”
Not only did the Giants decide to pass on Sanders at No. 3 overall, but when they traded back into the first round, they ultimately decided to take Ole Miss QB Jaxson Dart over Sanders. Then, the entire league proceeded to pass on Sanders multiple times before the Browns finally snatched him up in Round 5.
Now, all eyes will be on Sanders to see whether he can win the Browns’ starting job and prove his doubters wrong.
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, and he is a low-risk, high-reward steal for the Browns in the fifth round.
I agitated an employer pretty bad when I went in for my 90 day evaluation. After he was finished I told him it was my turn. He looked at me all sideways like I didn’t have the right to give him my evaluation of him and his company. We didn’t last to long after that.
The rejected will be respected
What the heck is an install package? If you’re going to use terms that aren’t well known, maybe define them? According to google it’s a series of files used for installing a program on a computer. Not sure why NFL teams would make that part of an interview…
If you follow the NFL or football in general it’s common to refer to a group of offensive plays as a package. So using context clues an install package likely refers to a playbook designed to install a new offense. Likely what QBs are expected to do on a weekly basis
It’s obvious at this point no team in the NFL sees Sanders as a starting QB. The question is how he and his entourage/ego will handle having to compete for a backup role and learn to be a professional quarterback. Most teams don’t want a media circus from a backup QB.