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Colorado Buffaloes quarterback Shedeur Sanders was not selected in the first round of the NFL draft Thursday.
Sanders, 23, was one of the most polarizing prospects in this year’s NFL draft. Many mock drafts predicted Sanders would land with the Pittsburgh Steelers with the 21st pick in the first round, though opinions ranged from as high as third overall to out of the first round entirely.
The Steelers ultimately took Oregon defensive tackle Derrick Harmon at that spot.
The only other quarterback taken in the first round after No. 1 overall pick Cam Ward was Ole Miss’ Jaxson Dart. The New York Giants traded for the 25th pick to select Dart.
The son of NFL Hall of Famer Deion Sanders, the Buffaloes’ head coach, Shedeur Sanders was the Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year in his senior campaign at Colorado, completing 74.0% of his passes with 37 touchdowns and 10 interceptions.
Sanders began his collegiate career at Jackson State, a historically Black university, in 2021, when his father was the head coach. After two seasons with the Tigers, he followed his father to Colorado, where he spent another two years.
The Buffaloes won only one game the year before Sanders arrived. In his second season they won nine, their most since 2016.
In the lead-up to the draft, scouts and coaches raised questions about Sanders both on and off the field.
One quarterbacks coach reportedly referred to him as “brash” and “arrogant.” Another assistant coach told NFL Network that he was “entitled” after what he described as “the worst formal interview” he’d ever been a part of.
“He’s so entitled,” the anonymous assistant told NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero. “He takes unnecessary sacks. He never plays on time. He has horrible body language. He blames teammates. … But the biggest thing is, he’s not that good.”
On the field, Sanders has been criticized for both his lack of arm strength and his decision-making. In his two seasons with the Buffaloes, he took a whopping 94 sacks.
But he has also been lauded for his accuracy, completing over 70% of his throws over the last two years.
“I truly don’t have any space for negativity, so it doesn’t play a factor in my life at all,” Sanders told NBC News this month about the criticism he has received. “I understand the easiest thing in the world to do is to be negative instead of positive. I truly don’t care what people have to say.”
He added: “I’m happy everything is happening this way. I like a lot of chaos, because it shows you who’s really there. I wouldn’t change a thing, because this adds to the story.”
