Six quarterbacks were taken in the first round. And, Shedeur Sanders wasn’t one of them. This, from a player who told teams, “If you ain’t trying to change the franchise or the culture — don’t get me.” Well, they didn’t. Teams with urgent quarterback needs, like the Giants, Raiders, Jets, and Saints, all passed. New York traded up for Jaxson Dart. Las Vegas took a tackle. The Jets doubled down on defense. Sanders sat untouched.
He entered the night with the best completion percentage in the class (74.2%), 4,134 yards, and 37 touchdowns in a broken Colorado offense that allowed 52 sacks. But his stock took a hit in meetings, where some execs questioned the dynamic around him — the interviews, the entourage, and the implicit challenge of coaching a Sanders. Talent wasn’t in doubt. Control was.
By the third hour of the night, the tone inside the Sanders camp had shifted. And no one captured it better than Shedeur’s older brother, Shilo. “If they making him wait — oh buddy,” Shilo said, laughing through disbelief in a clip posted on X “I don’t even know what they going to do with me.”
Shilo Sanders is Comedy
“I don’t even know what they going to do with me”
“If they making him wait, Oh buddy”
: @DeionSandersJr pic.twitter.com/CjjKY7jyt9
— We Coming (@SkoBuffsGoBuffs) April 25, 2025
Although comic relief, the sentence does have a concern ringing through it. If Shedeur, the most polished quarterback in the draft, could fall out of the first round, what did that mean for him? A safety with no Combine invite, interrupted by injury, and lacking the standout tape to make up for it.
Shilo’s stats tell the story. Last season, he recorded 67 tackles, forced four fumbles, and grabbed one interception. While solid, these numbers don’t jump off the page in a safety class stacked with standout players like Brian Branch and Antonio Johnson, who posted stronger production and made more of an impact on a national stage.
The gap in the draft perception between Shedeur and Shilo couldn’t be more apparent. Shedeur was a first-round talent whose slide was influenced more by his larger-than-life persona than his on-field performance. For Shilo, it’s a different calculus. Without the high-end production or elite physical traits, he faces a tough road ahead, likely falling into Day 3 or the UDFA pile.
From top prospect to waiting game
On the most shocking draft day plot twist, the 2025 NFL Draft dealt a blow to Shedeur Sanders, its golden boy. The NFL’s elite collectively showed him the cold shoulder. His supposed landing team, the Steelers, opted for a defensive tackle. The Giants, who traded up solely for a quarterback, surprisingly selected Ole Miss’s Jaxson Dart instead of him. Even QB-needy teams, such as the Saints and Browns, bypassed Shedeur. His confidence and swagger, previously assets, seemingly put up red flags regarding team attitude and chemistry. Deion Sanders Jr. didn’t hold back—he retweeted, “The REJECTED WILL BE RESPECTED” as a rallying cry for his brother.
Is there still a possibility that Shedeur Sanders gets drafted in the next few days? Indeed, because the NFL cannot resist a good cliffhanger. After round one left Shedeur undrafted, the draft became a suspense thriller around him as its draft’s “best available” player. The Browns, Saints, and Steelers, all of whom were supposedly quarterback-needy, could pull off a late trade or scoop him up in rounds two or three. Experts say he’s a polarizing choice—some adore his precision and calmness, others are concerned with his fit and attitude. But hey, with 134 collegiate touchdown passes and legendary Hall of Famer dad in tow, Shedeur’s got the resume and numbers to make an impact.
Shedeur Sanders, the golden-armed quarterback with numbers that would make a spreadsheet blush, somehow became the NFL’s most popular “best available” player, left in limbo like a cliffhanger in a Netflix show. Shilo Sanders, the safety with lockdown ability, meanwhile, is waiting for his phone to ring, likely refreshing his screen more than a teenager stalking their crush’s social media.
The post Shilo Sanders Gives Up on His NFL Draft Hopes After Brother Shedeur’s Rejection Brings Family to Ground Reality appeared first on EssentiallySports.