Broncos' Sean Payton Warns NFL Teams to 'Beware' Amid Shedeur Sanders' Draft Slide

Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton offered a word of warning Friday night to quarterback-needy teams who passed on Colorado's Shedeur Sanders over the first two days of the 2025 NFL draft.

According to ESPN's Jeff Legwold, Payton praised Sanders and suggested that he could make teams regret their decisions, saying:

"I saw [Shedeur] when he was in junior high, and then I saw him in high school and then I saw him when he was a sophomore in high school when they were on their way to Florida. He's going to, like there'll be this chip on his shoulder, and beware because this guy is going to play in this league."

Despite a strong case potentially being made for Sanders as the second-best quarterback in the draft, he was not selected over the first three rounds and five quarterbacks were taken ahead of him through the first two days of the draft.

Legwold noted that Payton has known Sanders' father, Pro Football Hall of Fame cornerback and University of Colorado head football coach Deion Sanders, for many years, as well as Shedeur since he was a kid.

While the Broncos don't need a quarterback after taking Bo Nix in the first round last year, Payton noted that he was impressed with Sanders' pro day performance, saying: "We sat there, I watched right behind him throwing ... he had an outstanding pro day. I think we all are surprised, and yet the talent—holy cow, if you're a team that needs a quarterback."

Payton has a long history of getting the most out of quarterbacks, as he helped coach Drew Brees to a Hall of Fame-worthy career with the New Orleans Saints.

His comments suggest that he sees traits in Sanders that could help him become a successful NFL quarterback, but teams were clearly apprehensive about taking him over the first two days of the draft.

In the first round, the Tennessee Titans took Miami's Cam Ward first overall and the New York Giants traded back into the first round at No. 25 to select Ole Miss' Jaxson Dart.

That was followed by the New Orleans Saints taking Tyler Shough in the second round and the Seattle Seahawks taking Alabama's Jalen Milroe and Cleveland Browns taking Oregon's Dillon Gabriel in the third round.

Sanders' final season at Colorado was excellent statistically, as he completed 74.0 percent of his passes for 4,134 yards, 37 touchdowns and 10 interceptions en route to being named Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year.

However, Sanders' mobility pales in comparison to the quarterbacks taken ahead of him, and he took far too many sacks during his college career.

On top of that, there are reportedly some attitude concerns that may have played a sizable role in teams declining to pick Sanders on Thursday and Friday.

CBS Sports NFL insider Jonathan Jones reported Saturday that teams felt Sanders "sandbagged" his interviews with teams he didn't want to draft him.

Previously, NFL insider Josina Anderson reported that an NFL quarterbacks coach told her Sanders came across as "brash" and "arrogant" during meetings.

Also, NFL draft insider Todd McShay reported that there were teams that felt Sanders didn't take a "professional approach" to the interview process.

Whatever the reason for his slide, there is no question that Sanders will have plenty to prove when he eventually does get drafted and enters the NFL, and it is fair to wonder if that proverbial chip on his shoulder could be the motivating factor he needs.