Shedeur Sanders draft slide: Adam Schefter hints at potential Round 3 wait

Shedeur Sanders might wait a little longer than just the second round Friday night during the NFL Draft. The Colorado quarterback could possibly fall into the third round, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.

Once rated as the No. 2 quarterback in the draft class, and a potential top-five or 10 pick, Sanders slid out of the first round Thursday night. The second quarterback taken was Ole Miss’ Jaxson Dart when the New York Giants traded back into the first round.

The Steelers were linked to Sanders at No. 21, but selected Derrick Harmon, a defensive tackle from Oregon. So, will Sanders last to No. 83 in the third round?

“I think anything’s possible,” Schefter said on NFL Live. “I think where I would start is where we left off last night. The Pittsburgh Steelers don’t have a second-round draft pick. They’re picking 83rd in the third round. Now is Shedeur Sanders going to slip through the second round back to another turn around with the Pittsburgh Steelers? I don’t dismiss that. Now, look, anything’s possible here. For all we know, the Cleveland Browns have two of the first four picks. Maybe they decide they can afford to roll the dice with Shedeur Sanders. I don’t think anybody knows. 

“Everybody’s already passed him up once. Teams with quarterback needs have passed him up once. There are other teams that have quarterback needs that are said not to be interested in him, so it’s gonna take somebody that’s got a high grade on him, somebody that’s willing to roll the dice. It could be anywhere as late as the Pittsburgh Steelers at No. 83.”

Schefter also noted earlier in the day that the Seattle Seahawks, Arizona Cardinals and Dallas Cowboys could be potential landing spots. They were not previously linked with Sanders. Not only that, Sanders might be passed by another quarterback Friday night.

“We’ll watch Shedeur Sanders tonight trying to find a landing spot,” Schefter said. “I don’t think it’s going to be the Cleveland Browns. I don’t think it’s going to be the Las Vegas Raiders. I don’t think it’s going to be the New Orleans Saints. I think the floor could be the Pittsburgh Steelers at number 83 in the third round, but we’ll see if there’s a team somewhere, some way that comes up that has a higher grade. But mark my words, I think there’s a real chance that Tyler Shough could be selected before Shedeur Sanders and whoever would have thought that Tyler Shough and Jaxson Dart would go in this draft ahead of Shedeur Sanders?”

The Cowboys, of course, are set at the position with Dak Prescott locked up long-term. He signed a four-year, $240 million extension with the Cowboys this past September. But he’s also recovering from a hamstring injury that prematurely ended his 2024 season. Still, he finished second in MVP voting the prior season and is the face of the franchise.

Dallas lost backup Cooper Rush to free agency. They then acquired second-year signal-caller Joe Milton earlier this month from the New England Patriots. But someone is going to take Sanders. And given the franchise’s connection to his dad, Colorado head football coach Deion Sanders, who won a Super Bowl in Dallas, perhaps the Cowboys could be a fit.

As a senior in 2024, Sanders threw for a career-best 4,134 yards on an impressive 74% completion percentage to go along with 37 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. Spending the last two seasons playing for the Buffaloes, he accounted for 72 total touchdowns.