The Colorado QB, a DFW native who played high school football in Cedar Hill, spoke to his draft party in Canton, Texas, after not being picked in the first round.CANTON, Texas — One of the biggest storylines of the 2025 NFL Draft's first round wasn't about the 32 picks that were made, but rather a notable player who wasn't selected.After all 32 picks were read by NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders, who went to high school at Trinity Christian in Cedar Hill, was not one of the nam...
The Colorado QB, a DFW native who played high school football in Cedar Hill, spoke to his draft party in Canton, Texas, after not being picked in the first round.
CANTON, Texas — One of the biggest storylines of the 2025 NFL Draft's first round wasn't about the 32 picks that were made, but rather a notable player who wasn't selected.
After all 32 picks were read by NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders, who went to high school at Trinity Christian in Cedar Hill, was not one of the names. Sanders' teammate, Heisman winner Travis Hunter, went No. 2 overall to the Jacksonville Jaguars, who gave up a haul to trade up and pick Hunter.
Sanders' training partner leading up to draft night, Miami QB Cam Ward, was the No. 1 overall pick by the Tennessee Titans. For most of the draft process, Sanders was viewed as the next QB to come off the board, projected to be a first round pick, himself. The stock of Ole Miss QB Jaxson Dart rose mightily in the days leading up to Thursday night. Dart was taken by the New York Giants, who traded back into the first round at No. 25.
The Giants was one of a few teams tied to Sanders who ultimately decided to pass on him. Other teams rumored to be interested in taking Sanders were the Raiders at No. 6 (they took fellow DFW native Ashton Jeanty), the Saints at No. 9 (they took offensive tackle Kelvin Banks Jr. from Texas) and the Steelers at No. 21 (they chose Oregon defensive tackle Derrick Harmon).
At his draft watch party in Canton, Texas, Sanders addressed his supporters.
"We all didn't expect this of course, but I feel with God, anything is possible" Sanders said. "I don't feel like this happened for no reason. All this is, of course, fuel to the fire. Under no circumstance, we all know this shouldn't have happened. But we understand we're on to bigger and better things. Tomorrow's a [new] day and we're going to be happy regardless. Legendary."
This message from Shedeur Sanders after going undrafted in the 1st round is exactly why he has the resolve, poise and maturity to lead an NFL Franchise. He didn’t hide. He stood tall in the face of adversity and disappointment. This adds to his testimony.???? @DeionSandersJr pic.twitter.com/1tAoHCZpI1
— Robert Griffin III (@RGIII) April 25, 2025
Sanders' draft party room was decked out with his brand name "Legendary" painted and embroidered all over the room. A branded shelf with hats of all the teams he expected he could potentially go to was the centerpiece. The teams were: Titans, Browns, Giants, Patriots, Jaguars, Raiders, Jets, Saints, Bears, 49ers, Cowboys, Dolphins, Colts, Falcons, Cardinals, Steelers, Bills, Chargers, Packers and Vikings.
A look at Shedeur Sanders’s Draft Night setup from Texas.(????: @CUBuffsFootball) pic.twitter.com/zYaVGQ9Dqg
— Front Office Sports (@FOS) April 24, 2025
Rounds 2 and 3 of the NFL Draft kick off Friday at 6 p.m. CT. Rounds 4-7 start Saturday morning at 11 a.m. All rounds of the NFL draft will broadcast on WFAA.