The ‘mistake' that began Shedeur Sanders' stunning NFL draft nosedive
ESPN NFL draft analyst Matt Miller has attributed Shedeur Sanders' unexpected slide to the fifth round of the 2025 NFL Draft to missteps in his pre-draft process.
Despite Sanders' impressive production at Colorado, including throwing for 4,134 yards and 37 touchdowns in his final season in college, Miller emphasized that off-field concerns significantly impacted his draft stock.
In an interview on the Awful Announcing Podcast, Miller stated, 'The NFL will humble anyone,' highlighting that teams were wary of Sanders' approach leading up to the draft, which included him sitting out drills at the NFL Scouting Combine.
Shedeur Sanders looks on during the NFL Scouting Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium on March 01, 2025 in Indianapolis, Indiana.
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'I didn't think that they handled the process well,' Miller said of Sanders and his camp. 'And that's not just hindsight. I took a lot of heat for saying on 'NFL Live' right before the NFL Scouting Combine that he was making a mistake. He should be throwing at the NFL Scouting Combine.
'He should have worked out at the East-West Shrine Game that he accepted an invite to. The NFL has this new rule that if you accept an invite to an All-Star Game, you have to participate. And he didn't. So I said on TV that they were not handling the process well. And I thought it would hurt him. People were not happy with me.'
Sanders finished eighth in Heisman voting in 2024 but fell to No. 144 overall, where he was selected by the Cleveland Browns despite the team taking Oregon QB Dillon Gabriel two rounds earlier.
'I had a lot of messages,' Miller recalled. 'I had a lot of responses to the video ESPN put out saying that. So I do think… Was he overrated as a player? Yes, based on the talents and the tools he has as a player, he was not a top two or three player in this draft class. But then you get to the process part of it. And the NFL will humble anyone. How the NFL views you and evaluates you, they will humble every player.'
Miller continued, 'So I think for the Sanders camp, they had this perception of Shedeur as a lock two or three draft pick. And they approached the process that way. There was never anyone from the outside that could get through to him and say, 'Wait a second, he's not guaranteed to be a two or three draft pick.' And the fact that you are approaching the process that way is hurting him.'
A screen shows Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders' name after being selected by the Cleveland Browns with the 144th overall pick during the fifth round of the 2025 NFL Draft on April 26, 2025 in Green Bay, Wisconsin.
Getty Images
Further compounding concerns were critiques from anonymous NFL sources describing Sanders as entitled and difficult to work with during interviews.
Sanders reportedly got 'pissed' during his visit with the Giants when he got called out for not catching a mistake.
Sanders now joins a QB room including Gabriel, former first-round pick Kenny Pickett, veteran gunslinger Joe Flacco and Deshaun Watson, who's likely to miss the 2025 season after re-tearing his Achilles in rehab.
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