ESPN analyst 'stunned' as Colorado's Shedeur Sanders faces shocking NFL Draft slide

The NFL Draft has been absolute cinema. This year's draft is one of the most unpredictable in recent memory. It all started with the second overall pick, when the Cleveland Browns traded their selection to the Jacksonville Jaguars, allowing them to draft two-way superstar Travis Hunter. This was the first trade-up in the first round—two more would follow later.

The most surprising storyline has been the dramatic fall of projected first-round pick Shedeur Sanders, who has officially slid to day three of the draft. This not only impacts the payday Sanders was expected to receive, but also raises questions about his character, as the reason behind so many teams passing on him remains unclear. In round one, Skip Bayless was publicly pleading for someone to take the Colorado QB.

“Shedeur Sanders is so much better than Jaxson Dart. This is just laughably sad,” Bayless posted.

There were plenty of opportunities for teams to select Sanders, including the Pittsburgh Steelers, where his draft meeting was reportedly very positive.

“I understand the mindset and why they win a lot. … What he (Mike Tomlin) preaches from the top down is like my dad. … It was a 10,” Sanders said.

Adam Schefter had predicted Sanders wouldn’t be the first quarterback off the board on night two—but even he didn’t expect Sanders to go the entire night without hearing his name called. It’s been a strange turn of events for Sanders, though publicly, he’s handling it with composure. Field Yates expressed his disbelief at the situation.

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“Frankly, I'm stunned. I don't have a good explanation for why Shedeur Sanders has not heard his name called,” Yates said.

There’s still a chance Sanders could land in Pittsburgh, but if not, he may end up with a team that hasn't been seriously linked to him—at least not until now.