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Thursday, October 29, 2026Oct 29

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First round passes without Shedeur Sanders getting drafted

AP photo by Phelan M. Ebenhack / Colorado football coach Deion Sanders talks with his son, quarterback Shedeur Sanders, during a timeout in a Big 12 game against UCF on Sept. 28 in Orlando, Fla.
AP photo by Phelan M. Ebenhack / Colorado football coach Deion Sanders talks with his son, quarterback Shedeur Sanders, during a timeout in a Big 12 game against UCF on Sept. 28 in Orlando, Fla. AP photo by Phelan M. Ebenhack / Colorado football coach Deion Sanders talks with his son, quarterback Shedeur Sanders, during a timeout in a Big 12 game against UCF on Sept. 28 in Orlando, Fla.

GREEN BAY, Wis. — Shedeur Sanders was still on the board after the first round of the NFL draft.

The Tennessee Titans, as expected, made quarterback Cam Ward of the University of Miami the top overall pick Thursday night as the three-day draft got underway at the Green Bay Packers’ Lambeau Field.

The Jacksonville Jaguars, who traded up to No. 2, then took receiver and defensive back Travis Hunter — Sanders’ former college teammate, first at Jackson State and then at Colorado — in another predictable pick.

What was surprising was that the New York Giants, who need a long-term answer behind center, passed on Sanders not once but twice, using the No. 3 pick to select Penn State defensive end Abdul Carter and trading back into the first round to get the No. 25 selection and add quarterback Jaxson Dart from Ole Miss.

The Las Vegas Raiders (at No. 6), New York Jets (No. 7), New Orleans Saints (No. 9) and Pittsburgh Steelers (No. 21) also passed on Sanders, and all four of those teams seem to need a quarterback.