Shedeur Sanders Reportedly 'Sandbagged' Some NFL Combine Interviews, Upset Teams

Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders' surprising slide to Day 3 of the 2025 NFL draft reportedly may have something to do with how he conducted himself while meeting with teams during the pre-draft process.

Speaking Saturday on CBS Sports HQ (beginning at the 2:38 mark of video), CBS Sports NFL insider Jonathan Jones said sources told him Sanders "more or less sandbagged" interviews with teams that he didn't want to draft him:

Jones added that Sanders "did not give it his all" during some of the meetings, which "rubbed some teams the wrong way."

Jones' report was consistent with some prior reports from NFL insider Josina Anderson and NFL draft insider Todd McShay.

Anderson reported that an anonymous NFL quarterbacks coach said Sanders was "brash" and "arrogant" during pre-draft interviews, while McShay reported that some teams felt Sanders didn't have a "professional approach" during interviews.

Sanders' on-field performance at Colorado after transferring from FCS Jackson State was good, as he threw 64 touchdowns passes and just 13 interceptions over his two seasons with the Buffaloes.

Last season, Sanders led Colorado to its best record since 2016 with a 9-4 mark and completed 74.0 percent of his passes for 4,134 yards, 37 touchdowns and 10 picks en route to being named Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year.

There was a time early in the pre-draft process where there were questions regarding who the top quarterback in the draft was between Sanders and Miami's Cam Ward.

Ward eventually pulled away and went first overall to the Tennessee Titans, but while Sanders seemed to still be a good bet to be the second quarterback taken, that was not the case.

The New York Giants traded back into the first round at No. 25 overall to take Ole Miss' Jaxson Dart. Then, the New Orleans Saints took Louisville's Tyler Shough 40th overall in the second round, the Seattle Seahawks took Alabama's Jalen Milroe at No. 92 in the third round and the Cleveland Browns selected Oregon's Dillon Gabriel two picks later.

In all, five quarterbacks came off the board over the first two days of the draft and Sanders was not among them, which is something nobody could have predicted going in.

While Sanders reportedly has attitude concerns, it is probably fair to say that teams would have looked past that if they liked what they saw from him on the field.

On Friday, Jeff Howe of The Athletic reported that most NFL decision-makers he spoke to were "more concerned with Sanders' talent than anything off the field.

Howe noted that those he spoke to added that "the personality nitpicks wouldn't be an issue if he had put together better tape."

Falling outside the top three rounds is undoubtedly a disappointment for Sanders and his camp, but there is still a chance for him to get taken on Day 3 and for him to prove all the teams that passed on him wrong.