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There was nothing anonymous about Shedeur Sanders’ fall completely out of the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft.
Arguably the most polarizing college quarterback since Johnny Manziel in 2014, a helpless Sanders and the rest of the NFL world watched together Thursday night as all his possible suitors passed.
And then the Giants — the team that spent the most time with him and to whom he showed the most favoritism — passed a second time, with the added insult of trading up for quarterback Jaxson Dart instead.
“I’m built for whatever today may bring,” Sanders wrote on Twitter early in the day.
Well, he certainly was tested by the agony that unfolded while he stood next to his father — a Hall of Famer and his high school and college coach, Deion Sanders — at his draft party in Texas.
“We all didn’t expect this, of course,” Sanders told his family and friends after going unselected, according to a video posted to social media. “But I feel like, with God, anything is possible. Everything is possible. I don’t feel like this happened for no reason. All this is is, of course, fuel to the fire. We all know this shouldn’t have happened.”
Sanders’ strengths (toughness, accuracy and a history of turning around losing programs at Jackson State and Colorado) and weaknesses (average athleticism and arm strength) on the field are only half the story.
Sanders’ brash nature rubbed some NFL personnel the wrong way during the predraft process, including a meeting with Giants head coach Brian Daboll that went south, according to draft analyst Todd McShay.
Reports surfaced that some teams suspected Sanders was trying to dictate his destination by not giving his all in some interviews, which certainly backfired if true.
Once upon a time, Deion even said that there were certain organizations for whom he would not allow his son to play — never anticipating such desperate times.
The anonymous quotes criticizing Sanders — something that many prospects have to deal with each year because team personnel often cannot share honest assessments (good or bad) without fear of backlash from their organizations — became a hot-button issue of fairness in the media.
There were teams that had Sanders in the early conversation to be the No. 1 pick last fall. But it became clear last week that falling to the second round was a realistic worst-case scenario.
“Not surprising at all,” one NFL executive told The Post after the first round ended. “I think the same sentiment was shared by many teams.”
Once the Giants passed on Sanders to draft Abdul Carter — considered by some scouts to be the best player in the draft class — with the No. 3 pick, the wait was on.
The Raiders — owned in part and operated by all-time great Tom Brady, one of Sanders’ biggest mentors — went with running back Ashton Jeanty at No. 6, and the Saints went with offensive tackle Kelvin Banks at No. 9.
But the first real stunner was when the Steelers — who still are waiting to see if free agent Aaron Rodgers is going to play this season or retire before his 42nd birthday — passed in favor of defensive tackle Derrick Harmon at No. 21.
The Steelers have journeyman Mason Rudolph penciled in as their starter and don’t have a second-round pick (thanks to the DK Metcalf trade) to address quarterback.
The Chargers and Packers ran down the clocks at No. 22 and No. 23, respectively, as they fielded trade calls from the Giants and potentially others.
Follow The Post’s live coverage of the 2025 NFL Draft
- NFL draft live tracker 2025: First-round picks, news and trades
- Giants pick-by-pick tracker and analysis
- Jets pick-by-pick tracker and analysis
- Shedeur Sanders’ NFL draft slide begins — with no end in sight
When the Giants struck their trade with the Texans to move from No. 34 to No. 25, it was for Dart, who moved ahead of Sanders on the Giants’ draft board earlier this week after all private workouts were completed.
If there is any solace for Sanders, it is that the Browns — with no quarterback of the future — hold two of the first four picks in the second round.
Their in-house quarterback options are Kenny Pickett and Joe Flacco while Deshaun Watson is hurt, and Watson might have played his final snap for the Browns either way.
The Raiders (No. 37), Saints (No. 40) and Jets (No. 42) could be other options.
“We’re on to bigger and better things,” Sanders said. “[Friday] is the day. We’re going to be happy regardless.”
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