The 2025 NFL Draft is officially in the rearview mirror and one of the biggest stories of the draft was the Sanders family. Shedeur Sanders was projected by many to be drafted in the first round, while Shilo Sanders could wind up being a Day 3 selection. However, things did not fall that way.
Shedeur Sanders would fall to the Cleveland Browns in the fifth round, while Shilo would not hear his name called at all. There are a lot of potential reasons for the draft slots of both Sanders brothers being significantly worse than projected, and there have been conversations in the media and on social media regarding the why. One former Super Bowl Champion and current ESPN employee discussed the situation on his podcast.
Ryan Clark Explains Why Sanders Family Won the NFL Draft
Ryan Clark has been one of the more vocal supporters of the Sanders family throughout the NFL Draft process and was shocked, like a lot of people were, as Shedeur Sanders would fall into the fifth round of the draft.
On the latest episode of his “The Pivot” podcast, he explained that despite all of the negativity that surrounded the family during the draft, the Sanders family actually wound up winning the draft.
In the video, Clark would explain how he believes the Sanders family was able to walk out victorious despite the fact that Shedeur Sanders fell to the fifth round and Shilo was undrafted before signing with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as an undrafted free agent.
“And this is just my opinion personally, the Sanders family won the weekend in what felt like a loss. I got to talk to Deion, I talked to Shilo, I haven’t talked to Shedeur, but Shedeur’s composure, poise, grace, elegance, gratitude, and behavior throughout this entire week said professional.”
The Cleveland Browns selected quarterbacks Dillon Gabriel as well as Sanders in the draft to compete with Joe Flacco and Kenny Pickett for the starting quarterback spot as Deshaun Watson is recovering from a torn Achilles tendon. There is a way for Sanders to find himself a starting spot coming out of training camp, but it will be a lot to overcome.
His brother Shilo was not selected in the 2025 NFL Draft, but was able to land with the Buccaneers as an undrafted free agent, and is in a position to compete to make the 53-man roster.
It will be interesting to follow both Sanders brothers and see how they perform during training camp and preseason to potentially elevate themselves into bona fide NFL starters.