GREEN BAY, Wis. — Shedeur Sanders is still waiting to hear his name called in the NFL draft — after three rounds, 102 picks and five quarterback selections.
The former University of Colorado quarterback was widely considered a first-round talent, but his stunning slide continued Friday night when his name wasn’t called in the second or third round.
Sanders was arguably the most recognizable player in the country entering the draft — largely because of his father, Deion Sanders, the Pro Football Hall of Fame cornerback who brought an innovative, publicity-seeking approach to college coaching at Jackson State and then Colorado.
Shedeur played for his dad at both schools and finished eighth in Heisman Trophy voting last season as the pair revitalized the program in Boulder and led the Buffaloes to a bowl game.
Sanders passed for a program-record 4,134 yards and helped Colorado go 9-4 in 2024, but NFL talent evaluators were apparently less impressed than draft analysts realized. Few, if any, mock drafts had Jaxson Dart of Ole Miss, Tyler Shough of Louisville, Jalen Milroe of Alabama or Dillon Gabriel of Oregon getting picked before Sanders; instead, all of them were taken before the player whose jersey number was retired by the Buffs at their spring game last weekend.