Shedeur Sanders, 5 Biggest Snubs Not Invited to 2025 NFL Draft

The NFL has finally revealed the list of prospects who will be attending the 2025 NFL draft in person next week and there are some rather shocking exclusions.  

The 17-player list is headlined by projected No. 1 overall pick Cam Ward. The Miami quarterback will be one of three signal-callers who will be in attendance at the Green Bay-based event, but surprisingly, Shedeur Sanders—the No. 2 QB and No. 23 overall prospect on the Bleacher Report Scouting Department’s big board—will not be there.

Ole Miss’ Jaxson Dart (B/R QB3, No. 57 overall) and Alabama’s Jalen Milroe (B/R QB5, No. 77 overall) will both be in the green room, an interesting development given the invite list generally focuses on players projected to be taken early on Day 1. The B/R Scouting Department’s latest mock draft has Dart coming off the board at No. 24 overall—18 picks after Sanders—and Milroe waiting until Day 2 to hear his name called at No. 34 overall.

While Sanders won’t be at Lambeau Field, the Buffaloes will have some representation in Titletown. Two-way star Travis Hunter, B/R’s top overall prospect for 2025, will be there and is likely to hear his name called early following a stellar collegiate career that culminated with a Heisman Trophy.

Sanders isn’t the only high-profile talent who won’t be attending the draft. There are several other big names who will be watching from elsewhere, one whom even rates among the top 10 prospects on B/R’s big board.

With that in mind, let’s highlight the biggest snubs from this year’s green room.

CB Jahdae Barron, Texas

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Cornerback may not be the deepest position in the 2025 draft, but it should have more representation than Michigan’s Will Johnson in the green room.

Jahdae Barron was the most notable defensive back snubbed from the invite list. The Texas product rates as the B/R Scouting Department’s No. 2 cornerback and No. 12 overall prospect, a testament to the work he put in for the Longhorns during his half-decade stint at the program.

After arriving in Austin back in 2020 as a 4-star recruit, Barron began a collegiate career that would see him deployed at every spot in the secondary. Across the 57 games he played for Texas, the versatile DB logged 226 tackles, 24 pass defenses, eight interceptions, three fumble recoveries, a pair of sacks and a forced fumble.

Barron had a stellar final season—one in which he recorded a career-high five picks—and went on to wow onlookers at the combine, running a 4.39-second 40-yard dash and displaying a 35-inch vertical leap.

Although he’s likely to be utilized most as a big nickel corner in the NFL, Barron has the football IQ and instincts to thrive anywhere in the secondary. He plays with a relentless motor and is excellent against the ground attack. He’s even better in coverage and has a knack for sticking to his man, seemingly knowing his receiver’s routes better than even they do at times.

With slot defense at a premium in the NFL these days, it would be puzzling for Barron to slip past Day 1. The B/R Scouting Department recently mocked him to the Los Angeles Rams at No. 26 overall, a slot that could be considered close to his floor given his proven production, schematic versatility and upside of becoming one of the NFL’s most reliable nickel corners.

TE Colston Loveland, Michigan

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Michigan’s Colston Loveland should be one of first tight ends, if not the first tight end, off the board in the upcoming draft.

Although the Wolverines star is the highest-rated player at his position and the No. 13 overall prospect on the B/R Scouting Department’s big board, Loveland won’t be crossing Lake Michigan and heading to Green Bay for the event.

Loveland fits the mold of a prolific pass-catching tight end that many NFL teams are desperately searching for. At 6’6”, 248 pounds, he clearly has the size to be a chain mover and red-zone threat in the pros. He’s an elite athlete as well, showcasing plenty of burst and acceleration to torch most of the linebackers who try to mark him.

While he still needs to polish his route-running skills, Michigan’s coaching staff deployed him as a jumbo-sized wideout to great effect. He tallied up 1,231 yards and nine touchdowns on 101 catches over the last two seasons, reeling in plenty of contested balls and dominating mismatches against slower, less athletic defenders.

Loveland profiles as a weak blocker, but some fine-tuning could see him become serviceable in that area. He’ll need to add strength and continue bulking up to stand up to powerful NFL defensive linemen, but teams should be drafting him on Day 1 for his upside as a playmaker in the passing attack.

There’s a chance Loveland won’t come off the board until after fellow Big Ten tight end Tyler Warren—the No. 2 TE and No. 15 overall prospect on B/R’s big board—both were top-14 picks in B/R’s latest mock draft.

Given the need around the league for the star pass-catchers at the position, it would have made sense to at least invite Loveland, if not both top-rated tight ends, to attend the draft in person.

OT Armand Membou, Missouri

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Armand Membou is the B/R Scouting Department’s highest-rated tackle, making his exclusion from the green room invite list perhaps the most glaring of the NFL’s omissions.

Membou surged up the big board and into the No. 10 overall slot during a fantastic junior season at Missouri and subsequent performance at the scouting combine.  

The 6’4”, 332-pounder started each of the last two years at right tackle (29 games in total) despite just turning 21 years old last month. He’s consistently displayed the type of athleticism and technique required to continue dominating against higher-quality opponents and should have little issue translating his game to the next level.

B/R scout Brandon Thorn described Membou as a “loose, explosive mover with a dense, powerful build, good length, and a rugged demeanor” who can hold up “on an island” with his assignment.

At the combine, Membou further proved that the athleticism he put on film is for real. He ran a 4.91-second 40-yard dash, posted 34-inch vertical and 9’7” broad jump numbers and threw up a whopping 31 reps on the bench.

Membou has a few drawbacks that should scare NFL teams from taking him early on Day 1. Thorn highlighted his aiming points and hands as rough edges that will need some work to smooth out, but this is a Day 1 starter who has a bright career ahead of him.

This is a clear snub of a player the B/R Scouting Department has being selected No. 7 overall in its latest mock. Membou should be attending the draft in person to hear his name called within the top half of opening night.

QB Shedeur Sanders, Colorado

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Shedeur Sanders may be a polarizing prospect, but he’s undoubtedly a talented one who will almost certainly be a Day 1 pick.

The Colorado star just wrapped up a standout two-year run in Boulder, one in which he racked up 7,364 yards and 64 touchdowns through the air while completing an incredible 71.8 percent of his throws. Sanders had just 13 interceptions across 907 passes since the start of the 2023 season and added another eight touchdowns on the ground in that span.

It's abundantly clear that Sanders has an NFL-caliber arm and can sling the rock with amazing accuracy. He has a high football IQ and comes through in the clutch. The 6’1”, 198-pound signal-caller isn’t afraid to stand tall in the pocket, progress through his reads and make a downfield throw with the rush bearing down.

While Sanders isn’t the type of dual-threat quarterback many teams covet to run modern NFL offenses, he does possess some strong athleticism. He didn’t tap into that trait often at Colorado—he finished his tenure at the program with minus-127 rushing yards—but he has the potential to develop that area of his game and use his legs to escape pressure and extend plays.

B/R Scout Dame Parson described Sanders as a “high-floor prospect with a good ceiling to buy into,” noting his “natural and pure” throwing skills are the best aspect of his game. Parsons believes that if Sanders lands in a rhythm-based offense that suits his strong points, he’ll have a chance to quickly develop into a franchise NFL quarterback.

Given his body of work, pedigree as the son of an NFL Hall of Famer and potential—coupled with the consensus among draft experts that he’ll come off the board within the first 10 selections—it’s head-scratching that Sanders won’t be attending the 2025 draft in person.

LB Jalon Walker, Georgia

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Jalon Walker is unlikely to slip past the first 10 picks of the 2025 draft. Despite his status as a high-ceiling defender worthy of an early selection, the Georgia star won’t be in Green Bay for the upcoming event.

Walker—the No. 1-ranked linebacker and No. 11 overall prospect on the B/R Scouting Department’s board—possesses almost everything an NFL team could desire in a modern defensive player. He has prototypical size to hold up to the rigors of the off-ball linebacker job while packing an immense amount of athleticism and explosiveness into that frame.

He’s extremely versatile as well, having played plenty of snaps for the Bulldogs on the edge. Walker has proved he can cover tight ends and running backs in addition to shutting down the ground game and disrupting in the backfield.

Although he’s not the most experienced prospect—Walker was used as a situational edge his first two seasons in Athens and didn’t emerge as a starter until the 2024 campaign—and still must hone his instincts, those teachable traits will eventually catch up to the unteachable attributes that make him so alluring.

With his utility and ceiling, Walker could end up being the best defensive player taken in the 2025 draft. His floor may be low and there’s a bit of risk attached to this type of pick, but this upside-laden talent is likely to be long gone before the first round reaches its midpoint, and for that reason alone he should be in the green room.