Shedeur Sanders Compares Draft Rumors to People In Jail 'for Something They Didn't Do'

Former Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders was disheartened to watch his fall in the 2025 NFL draft be fueled in part by off-field concerns.

"You know what this feel like? Just people that be in jail for something they didn't do bro," he said at the 33:30 mark of brother Deion Jr.'s video recapping the weekend. "And like, there's no explaining. There's no talking about it, reasoning."

As the draft was unfolding and Sanders remained on the board, The Athletic's Jeff Howe reported he "interviewed well in some places during the pre-draft process, but he interviewed very poorly with others."

"He didn't do himself any favors by sitting out practice at the East-West Shrine Bowl," Howe said. "There are other things that teams have nitpicked about him off the field that may not sound like a big deal in a vacuum but add up when it comes down to projecting his ability to lead other professionals in a locker room."

There's also the fact Sanders is now the most famous quarterback on the Cleveland Browns' roster, and he's likely to be second or third in the depth chart. Having a notable backup can have some drawbacks.

There were football-related reasons to question Sanders' ceiling at the next level. He's not a supreme athlete for the position and doesn't possess one standout trait as a passer.

Still, the Buffaloes star dropped to the fifth round for factors beyond the gridiron.

At the end of the day, the market spoke for itself and there's nothing Sanders can do to change people's past opinions of him. His focus now has to be on turning heads in positive ways at rookie minicamp.