ESPN Insider Explains Why Teams Didn't Draft Shedeur Sanders in the First Round

The Colorado quarterback's name wasn't called on Thursday night despite him being considered a first-round pick at points.

Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders attends his jersey retirement ceremony. / Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images

One of the biggest storylines to come out of the first round of the 2025 NFL draft was that Shedeur Sanders was not selected by any teams despite once being considered a top-five pick.

As teams made their decisions on Thursday night, the Colorado quarterback's name continued to not be called. Fans held their breath during some of the teams' selections—such as the New Orleans Saints, Pittsburgh Steelers or the New York Giants' second pick of the night, as those teams were considered possibilities for Sanders to land with.

The question now is why did all the teams pass on Sanders in the first round? ESPN's Pete Thamel spoke with some teams on Friday and it came down to a simple thing: the teams didn't consider Sanders a player worthy of a first-round pick.

"I talked to about half a dozen teams today ... They just thought that he wasn't a first-round talent and a first-round player," Thamel said on SportsCenter. "They wanted to see him more throwing in rhythm. They wanted to see him show a little bit more athleticism. He's considered a mediocre athlete who didn't have enough film that they thought immediately translated."

"I talked to about half a dozen teams today ... They just thought that he wasn't a first-round talent and a first-round player."@PeteThamel with more insight on why Shedeur Sanders was left unselected after the first round. pic.twitter.com/MXbSDklKaF

— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) April 25, 2025

Thamel also noted how there's only been one quarterback drafted in the second round since 2023, so it shouldn't come as a surprise if Sanders drops past the second round on Friday night.

Earlier on Friday, ESPN's Adam Schefter guessed that the three teams with the highest possibility to draft Sanders now are the Seattle Seahawks, Arizona Cardinals and Dallas Cowboys. We'll see where Sanders lands and what round his name gets called.

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