Mel Kiper Jr. felt his credibility questioned. He was dumbfounded to see Shedeur Sanders continue to remain the No. 1 available player with each pick that passed in the first round of the NFL Draft. First the Browns traded out of the No. 2 pick. Then the New York Giants took Abdul Carter. Then the New Orleans Saints took Kelvin Banks Jr.
After the No. 9 pick, it was clear Sanders, who had his jersey retired at Colorado during the spring game, would free fall toward the bottom of the order. Understandably, Kiper was offended by Sanders free falling.
Mel Kiper ahead of pick No. 20: "Shedeur (Sanders), I'm amazed right now that he's still on the board, as I was with Aaron Rodgers." #NFL #NFLDraft https://t.co/T49wUdkVPL pic.twitter.com/e3PiRFhwZi
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) April 25, 2025
When the No. 21 pick rolled around, it felt all but confirmed Sanders was headed to the Steel City. Then the Steelers went defense. Even the New York Giants traded back into the first round and Jaxson Dart ended up being the second quarterback taken.
Maybe these draft experts and analysts don’t know everything after all.
The Pittsburgh Steelers pass on Shedeur Sanders and still have question marks about quarterback situation
How did we get here, with Sanders quickly falling out of the first round? This feels eerily similar to what happened with Lamar Jackson. All that means is whoever ends up with Sanders is getting a player with a vendetta.
I’m curious why teams that need a quarterback backed off of Sanders. I’m not shocked in the sense that this isn’t a top-heavy quarterback class. Outside of Cam Ward, I didn’t think any of the other quarterbacks were worth a high pick.
Honestly, even Dart going in the first round felt a bit forced. But that was more of the perfect situation for the New York Giants, who got their top choice and then got the quarterback they wanted.
Kiper Jr. has every right to feel offended, but he shouldn’t be surprised. All of us are wrong about something. Kiper thought Sanders would be the second quarterback taken and a sure first round selection.
With Pittsburgh passing on Sanders, they still have a massive question mark at quarterback. Aaron Rodgers hasn’t committed and the Steelers avoided drafting a quarterback on Thursday. Sanders was missing something, despite his optimistic visit in Pittsburgh.
Now the question becomes how early will Sanders get taken in the second round?