In a scenario that appeared to be shaping up over the last few weeks, Shedeur Sanders has gone unselected in the top 10 picks in the 2025 NFL Draft.
Sanders was bypassed by five teams with some level of quarterback need in the first 10 selections, including the Tennessee Titans, Cleveland Browns, New York Giants, Las Vegas Raiders and New Orleans Saints. As expected, the Titans took Miami quarterback Cam Ward No. 1 overall, with the Browns trading No. 2 to the Jacksonville Jaguars, who selected Colorado wideout/cornerback Travis Hunter, while Cleveland took Michigan defensive tackle Mason Graham at No. 5. The Giants took Penn State edge rusher Abdul Carter.
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The next two teams that had some level of interest in Sanders — the Raiders at No. 6 overall and the Saints at No. 9 — ultimately chose Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty and Texas offensive lineman Kelvin Banks Jr., respectively.
While Sanders’ draft stock appeared to be continually adjusted down the board as Thursday drew closer, his slide out of the top 10 also comes in the wake of one more last-minute spate of controversy this week, after NFL Network anonymously quoted multiple league sources who hammered Sanders with sharp criticism over his level of play and pre-draft interviews. While the anonymous critiques were not the first for Sanders in this process, the nature of some of the comments — including calling him “entitled” and “not very good” as a player — drew a spate of negative reactions both inside and outside of league circles.
That report likely changed nothing in terms of Sanders’ evaluation across the league, but it once again highlighted a roller-coaster of pre-draft speculation that made him arguably the biggest mystery of Thursday’s first round. For now, that mystery endures, as his next “best guess” landing spot appears to the Pittsburgh Steelers at No. 21 overall.
