Shedeur Sanders draft slide: Mel Kiper furious with 'non-sensical' 3rd-round talk

ESPN draft expert Mel Kiper Jr. didn’t foresee Shedeur Sanders not being selected in the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft. Alas, Kiper hasn’t lost faith in the former Colorado quarterback.

“The guy that I’m going to be watching all night is obviously Shedeur,” Kiper said ahead of the draft on Friday. “We have had sliding quarterbacks that have done really well and have gone in the second round. Of course, Joe Montana was drafted in the third round back in 1979, when Jack Thompson went before him and Steve Fuller went before him.

“But, I think the second round or the third round. If he gets into the third round — it’s non-sensical right now — that’s ridiculous.”

Sanders was the No. 1 QB and No. 5 overall prospect in Kiper’s NFL Draft Big Board on April 22. However, QBs Cam Ward (pick No. 1) and Jaxson Dart (pick No. 25) were taken in the first round of the draft, while Sanders’ name wasn’t called.

Kiper was particularly frustrated when the Pittsburgh Steelers passed on Sanders with the No. 21 overall pick. Instead, the Steelers drafted former Oregon defensive tackle Derrick Harmon.

“They haven’t won a playoff game in nine years,” Kiper said about the Steelers before they passed on Sanders. “…I’m taking Shedeur Sanders… If I’m Pittsburgh… Shedeur Sanders… to pass on him at this stage at pick 21, come on.”

Sanders tallied 4,134 passing yards, 37 touchdowns and four rushing scores while completing 74% of his pass attempts in the 2024 campaign. For his efforts, he was named the Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year and an AP Second-Team All-American.

He owns the school’s single-season records for passing yards, completions, attempts, touchdowns, completion percentage and quarterback rating. Moreover, he boasts the 14th-most passing yards in NCAA Division I history.

Shedeur Sanders’ draft stock began to slide in the days leading up to the draft. However, Kiper stood firm, boldly backing the 23-year-old QB and naming one particular team that should draft him.

“The Saints haven’t drafted a quarterback back in the first round since ’71,” Kiper said. “They kept that streak intact. They’re gonna pass in the second round with Shedeur Sanders?… You gotta be kidding me. If the Saints don’t pick Shedeur Sanders, that, to me, is one of biggest blunders in the NFL Draft in a long time.”

Now, Sanders has no choice but to hope to hear his name called on Friday night. He hasn’t allowed the setback to discourage him. After going undrafted on Thursday evening, Sanders addressed the surprising snub.

“I feel like with God, anything possible,” Sanders said. “I don’t feel like this happened for no reason. All this is is fuel to the fire. Under no circumstance, we all know this shouldn’t have happened, but we understand we’re on to bigger and better things. Tomorrow’s a day, and we’re gonna be happy regardless.”