Shedeur Sanders woke up in January as a projected top pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. The Colorado quarterback had everything going for him: the name, the numbers, and the narrative. But as the months rolled on, the draft stock that once had him in the mix for the No. 1 overall pick has been sliding — fast.
Now, with just hours until the draft kicks off in Green Bay, it’s looking more likely that Sanders will be watching a lot longer than anyone expected before hearing his name called.
NFL Insiders Say Shedeur Sanders Could Slip to No. 21 — and Land in Mike Tomlin’s Lap
This slide isn’t just speculation from media circles — it’s coming straight from NFL insiders. Todd McShay, writing in “The McShay Report,” says league sources expect Sanders to fall outside the top 20, and even his own camp is bracing for that reality.
While teams like the New York Giants have been loosely linked to him at No. 3, McShay reports they won’t be pulling the trigger. Instead, Sanders could be in play for a team like the Pittsburgh Steelers at pick No. 21 — setting up what might be a perfect storm for Mike Tomlin and a franchise in desperate need of a long-term quarterback fix.
“Just a few hours until the draft kicks off in Green Bay, league sources I’ve spoken to are expecting him to slide,” McShay wrote. “I’m told that even Sanders’s camp is prepared for him to not come off the board in the top 20 picks. I’m still hearing people say they wouldn’t rule out the Giants at No. 3, but I’m told New York will not be drafting him there.
“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 reports that inside conversations have Sanders falling to Pittsburgh.
“Based on conversations I’m having with people in the league, there’s a growing sense that Sanders will be the pick at 21. As I’ve said multiple times over the past couple of weeks, Mike Tomlin and Sanders did hit it off during the pre-draft process—any reports to the contrary are false.”
In other words, depending on how things shake out, you might be able to fit in a whole movie between the start of the draft and when Sanders’ name gets called.
Sanders Slipping to Steelers Would Be Best-Case Scenario for Tomlin
With Russell Wilson and Justin Fields gone, Mason Rudolph is currently set to start in 2025. Per PFSN QB+ metrics, Rudolph was the 26th-best quarterback in the NFL last season. The Steelers finished with the 25th-ranked offense, according to PFSN Offense+ metrics. It’s clear the quarterback room needs a new face.
The Steelers don’t have a second-round pick, so how the first round unfolds is crucial. Many mocks have linked Jaxson Dart to Pittsburgh, projecting he’ll be the available option when they’re on the clock. But even as Sanders’ stock has dipped, some believe he could still be there for the taking.
If that happens, the Steelers could end up landing the second-ranked quarterback in this year’s draft. That’s a win for Mike Tomlin, who had been looking at options like drafting second-round prospect Jalen Milroe in the first, trading back, or punting on quarterback altogether.
Will the Pittsburgh Steelers emerge as the winners of the first round?
