Field Yates in awe of Shedeur Sanders draft slide: 'I am truly perplexed'

Shedeur Sanders has yet to be selected in the 2025 NFL Draft, and ESPN draft expert Field Yates is not happy about it. While appearing on ESPN’s SportsCenter after the second night of the draft, Yates shared his reaction to Sanders not being drafted in the second or third round.

“I am stunned,” Yates told SportsCenter anchor Scott Van Pelt. “I thought last night when I mentioned the possibility of Shedeur Sanders maybe not being drafted in the second round that even perhaps I would look silly a day later. You would hear his name called in the first five or six selections. So let’s talk about how the quarterbacks are evaluated during this pre-draft process – because I’ll tell you this – on the field, Shedeur Sanders is a Day One or Day Two selection. He was the only quarterback in the entire FBS last season – who when he was not under pressure – completed at least 80 percent of his passes. 

“This is a four-year starter who took two separate programs to unprecedented heights. Extremely experienced. Throws with great touch and accuracy. Helped elevate the profile of other wide receivers beyond just Travis Hunter. It only leads me to believe that maybe teams are less comfortable with some of the stuff that comes in the intangibles department for Shedeur Sanders. And frankly, I’m not sure that’s justified. I understand that Deion Sanders – and there’s a lot of attention being paid to him being the son of one of the most notable athletes that we have seen in the history of professional sports, but frankly, I’m stunned.”

Field Yates shares more on Shedeur Sanders

Field Yates added, “I don’t have a good explanation for why Shedeur Sanders has not heard his name called. I had him as the 16th-rated player on my board. I haven’t been doing this nearly as long as Mel Kiper, but I can’t imagine there have been too many instances where the 16th-rated player on a big board is still available on Day Three. I am truly perplexed by why the situation has gotten to the point we are now in.”

Shedeur Sanders was projected to be a top-10 pick in the draft. After three rounds, there have been five quarterbacks who have been selected ahead of the Colorado quarterback, and they are Miami‘s Cam Ward (No. 1 pick), Ole Miss‘ Jaxson Dart (No. 25 pick), Louisville’s Tyler Shough (No. 40), Alabama’s Jalen Milroe (No. 92) and Oregon’s Dillon Gabriel (No. 94).