The most important story of the 2025 NFL Draft wasn’t the Jacksonville Jaguars’ large swing to commerce up for WR/CB Travis Hunter, it wasn’t the huge run on linemen within the first spherical.
It was, as all the time, a slide. A really outstanding slide.
Colorado QB Shedeur Sanders was not picked within the first spherical of the draft, and it led to quite a lot of takes, on either side of the coin:
ESPN exhibits that its Draft Day predictor thought there was a 96% probability Shedeur Sanders would go by the twenty first choose.
Mel Kiper then names quite a few star/Corridor of Fame quarterbacks that have been handed over within the draft. #NFL #NFLDraft pic.twitter.com/2DnHa4hjEI
— Terrible Saying (@awfulannouncing) April 25, 2025
Should you search Sanders’ identify on social media, the takes fly in like bats out of hell. Nonetheless, I don’t actually suppose it is a conspiracy concept in opposition to Sanders, neither is this an occasion of the NFL’s racism (though we are able to level to quite a lot of different issues that are an instance of that). I believe this case is fairly easy:
Shedeur Sanders was all the time a late first to early second spherical QB.
I had Sanders as my QB1, but in addition didn’t have any QBs as surefire first spherical locks. As a lot as I like how Sanders performs the sport, his accuracy throwing over the center of the sector, and downfield contact, enjoying the quarterback place within the fashionable NFL is all about having a superpower. Everybody chases after their very own model of Patrick Mahomes or Josh Allen, guys who can dominate the sport with their arm or their legs.
Sanders isn’t that.
In contrast to high picks similar to Jayden Daniels, Caleb Williams or Drake Maye, he doesn’t have that rocket arm or skill to take over the sport along with his legs. The NFL is keen to take probabilities on guys with that athleticism, as a result of it’s simpler to show guys to throw a soccer. It’s a bit tougher to show a man to be extra athletic. That is the entire premise behind the Colts selecting Anthony Richardson at No. 5 in 2023 (though they did sort of botch that course of after he was drafted). Whereas Sanders does a number of the different issues properly, his athletic upside isn’t actually as excessive as different QB prospects taken within the first spherical, except guys like Bo Nix and Michael Penix Jr.
Which brings us to the second a part of why he fell: NFL groups are way more keen to take care of different … stuff in the event you’re a terrific athlete. I may be trying too far into the tea leaves, however this reasoning behind why Jaxson Dart was taken at 25 as an alternative of Sanders feels actually telling:
Some extra context on why the #Giants traded as much as get Jaxson Dart, from a number of sources:
• Tradition builder and competitor —harking back to Josh Allen by way of guys eager to play for him. He could also be 21 years outdated, however leads like he’s 35
• Elite management expertise: Dart was a… https://t.co/WDMjlQAQNg pic.twitter.com/v1U4HsmOlY
— Jordan Schultz (@Schultz_Report) April 25, 2025
Probably the most telling factor to come back from that is the part the place the supply says the Giants felt “much more snug with Dart as soon as the helmet got here off.” That looks like they weren’t too thrilled with Sanders in conferences and interviews. However once more, groups are keen to place up with a few of these issues in the event you’re supremely gifted. Caleb Williams went first total regardless of being picked over about how he loses or his mentality in a locker room. None of that stuff issues if a man is overwhelmingly good, or has the athleticism to beat it.
Sanders, to be frank, doesn’t actually have that athletic second gear that the majority different guys have. Whereas we’ve seen guys like Joe Burrow and CJ Stroud win regardless of not being overwhelming athletes, Sanders didn’t mitigate strain the identical manner these guys did. Whereas I believe Dart within the first spherical is an enormous attain, a number of issues could be true. Sanders is a greater QB, but in addition not one groups needed to tie their franchise to along with his restricted athletic upside.
There’s no conspiracy round Sanders’ slide. He was simply all the time extra of a late first to early second spherical participant, which is completely effective.
