Shedeur Sanders' NFL Draft Day 2 Slide Baffles Fans as QB Falls Past 3rd Round

Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders' stunning NFL draft fall continued on Friday as the signal-caller officially slid past the third round.

Eyebrows were certainly raised after pick No. 40, when the New Orleans Saints selected Louisville quarterback Tyler Shough. That marked three QBs taken ahead of Sanders: Cam Ward (to the Tennessee Titans at No. 1), Jaxson Dart (to the New York Giants at No. 25) and Shough.

The Seattle Seahawks then drafted Jalen Milroe in the third round at No. 92 overall and the Cleveland Browns took Dillon Gabriel with the 94th overall pick.

And so the wait continued. Sanders was seen watching the draft with his father, Pro Football Hall of Famer Deion Sanders, and his brother, safety/NFL draft prospect Shilo Sanders.

Sanders finished 23rd on the final B/R NFL Scouting Department big board. He was also projected to go 20th overall on the final B/R NFL Scouting Department mock draft.

He was largely considered QB2 behind Ward for much of the last couple months, but that take seemed to wane as the draft approached.

Then ESPN's Adam Schefter reported Friday that fans shouldn't be surprised if Shough went ahead of Sanders.

That's exactly what happened. The shocking slide continued through the second round, and then things took a surprising turn when the Las Vegas Raiders, considered a potential landing spot for Sanders, passed on him at No. 58 overall for TCU wide receiver Jack Bech.

Round 2 officially came and went with Sanders still waiting. The third round still had some teams that could potentially take Sanders, including the Browns, Raiders and New York Jets.

But the biggest shocker happened when the Pittsburgh Steelers, at No. 83 overall, didn't select Sanders. The Steelers were often connected to Sanders in the days leading up to the draft, especially with free agent quarterback Aaron Rodgers' future with the team (and generally) still a major question mark.

Of note, the NFL Mock Draft Database's consensus mock had Sanders connected the most to Pittsburgh...but at No. 21 overall.

So seeing Pittsburgh pass on Sanders in Round 3 was a stunner. They instead opted for Iowa running back Kaleb Johnson to pair with Jaylen Warren in the backfield after Najee Harris left in free agency for the Los Angeles Chargers.

Ultimately, the fall left fans stunned.

Sanders completed 74.0 percent of his passes for 4,134 yards (8.7 yards per attempt), 37 touchdowns and 10 interceptions last year.

Sanders completed 74.0 percent of his passes for 4,134 yards (8.7 yards per attempt), 37 touchdowns and 10 interceptions last year. He enjoyed a sensational collegiate career overall, first playing two years at Jackson State before leaving for Colorado with his father, brother and two-way superstar Travis Hunter.

Sanders help resurrect two programs during his college days. Jackson State hadn't won a conference championship since 2007 but won two in a row under Sanders. Colorado was 1-11 before Sanders got there but improved to 9-4 and a No. 25 spot in the Associated Press poll in two years.

Ultimately, it wasn't a shock that Sanders didn't go high in the draft based on where reports were leading into Thursday, but the multi-round fall wasn't expected. He still has a great resume and production, but obviously teams decided to look in another direction.