Former University of Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders’s fall from first-round NFL Draft prospect to Day 3 pick has been one of the biggest surprises in recent memory.
Several analysts had him coming off the big board in the 2nd or 3rd round, but it’s safe to say that no one worth their analytic bona fides saw this coming.
It wasn’t until the Cleveland Browns selected Sanders in the 5th round, 144th overall (and the organization’s second QB pick) did the son of Hall of Famer Deion Sanders receive a pro job.
Mel Kiper Jr., arguably the most notable draftnik since the 1980s, has been one of Sanders’s biggest supporters.
When Cleveland finally took Sanders, Kiper blasted the NFL teams that passed on him.
“The NFL gets it! They know everything! No, they don’t! The guys who have slid have done pretty well… there’s a lot of fake news out there surrounding the Sanders family with Shedeur and Deion,” Kiper said.
Mel Kiper Jr. reacts to Shedeur Sanders going to the Cleveland Browns at 144:
“The NFL gets it! They know everything! No, they don’t! The guys who have slid have done pretty well… there’s a lot of fake news out there surrounding the Sanders family with Shedeur and Deion.” pic.twitter.com/iRCPIaeo22
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) April 26, 2025
Playing for his father at both Jackson State and Colorado, Sanders made a name for himself as one of the best signal-callers in college football.
As a Tiger, he went 23-3 and passed for nearly 7,000 yards and 70 touchdowns.
Then, in two seasons with the Buffaloes, he went 13-11 and passed for 4,134 and 37 touchdowns alone in 2024.
Those numbers helped Colorado improve from 4-8 in 2023 to 9-4 in ’24, the most wins for the program since 2016.
Sanders completed 74% of his passes last season and also sports a 70.1 completion percentage in his four-year career.
His 134-27 touchdown to interception ratio was another highlight of his time under center.
NEXT:
Shedeur Sanders Breaks Silence After Joining Browns
