Shedeur Sanders' shocking fall lands him in draft loser territory

The 2025 NFL Draft first round came and went with a packed house in Green Bay on Thursday night. As always, there were a number of trades, including the New York Giants trading into the backend to select Ole Miss quarterback Jaxson Dart. 

However, in surprising fashion, Colorado QB Shedeur Sanders did not hear his name called on Thursday night, leaving many to wonder why that was the case. 

Teams such as the Pittsburgh Steelers passed on him despite having a need for a QB, so it raised plenty of eyebrows. 

Bill Bender of Sporting News compiled his first-round winners and losers, and it's no surprise that Sanders was dubbed one of the losers. 

Sanders was projected to be a first-round pick and in many cases a top-10 pick throughout the draft process. He had 7,364 passing yards, 64 TDs and 13 interceptions the last two seasons with Colorado.Yet he slipped past the Steelers at No. 21, and the Giants traded to land Dart was another draft-day surprise considering Sanders was generally considered the next-best QB behind Ward.What led to the draft-day slide? Was it the anonymous sources? How unfair is that? Colorado coach Deion Sanders likely will have a strong response, and how Sanders handles the disappointment will be magnified. Sanders' landing spot in Day 2 will be the lead topic of conversation Friday as a result.

Of course, Sanders might be one of - if not the first - picks in the second round, but it's a far fall from grace for the Colorado signal-caller. 

MORE NFL DRAFT:

• Browns' Travis Hunter trade mistake could be a generational error
• Steelers' Aaron Rodgers pursuit down to 2 outcomes after Shedeur Sanders choice
• Giants trade back in to first round to get Jaxson Dart