In the days since the 2025 NFL Draft wrapped up, coaches and executives from teams around the league are still discussing exactly why Shedeur Sanders fell to the fifth round.
One team executive summed it up this way: “I believe Shedeur approached these visits with teams as a recruiting trip versus a job interview.”
The same exec added that he believed Sanders, who did not hire an agent, would have benefitted from having one to provide a better level of insight into and understanding of the draft process.
From the conversations I’ve had coming out of draft weekend, league sources tell me that they believe Shedeur Sanders’ tumble would have played out differently if he had an agent.
He would have been better prepared for the pre-draft process ⤵️ pic.twitter.com/ZWIauPMcoG
— Dianna Russini (@DMRussini) April 29, 2025
After he was not picked in the first round, Sanders told a crowd gathered at father Deion’s home to watch the draft that, “tomorrow is the day,” referring to Friday night’s second and third rounds. He wasn’t drafted on Friday either, eventually coming off the board on Saturday when the Cleveland Browns, who had already selected Oregon QB Dillon Gabriel in the third round, traded up to draft Sanders with the 144th overall pick. He was the sixth quarterback taken.
“I would say I’m extremely grateful for the opportunity throughout everything,” Sanders told reporters after being selected. “I don’t ever focus on the negative. For me, it’s just playing QB, that’s what it’s about.”
Sanders now joins a crowded quarterbacks room in Cleveland that also includes Gabriel, free-agent arrival Joe Flacco, and off-season trade acquisition Kenny Pickett. Deshaun Watson, recovering from an Achilles tear, also remains on the Browns’ roster.
(Photo: Michael Ciaglo / Imagn Images)