How did a quarterback projected to be drafted top 5 slide all the way down to the fifth round in the 2025 NFL draft? Shedeur Sanders, son of NFL legend Dion Sanders, was eighth in the Heisman voting his senior year on the Colorado Buffaloes, as well as finishing as the NCAA leader in completion percentage. Sanders holds the franchise record for single season passing yards, completion percentage, touchdown to interception ratio and passing touchdowns. Sanders also holds the single game franchise record for passing yards, and completion percentage. He won Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year in 2024 and was a Walter Payton Award finalist in 2022 (NCAA).
Sanders was projected to be the second overall pick in the NFL draft, and some analysts even had him going before the eventual first overall selection Cam Ward.
Safe to say nobody thought Sanders would fall out of the first round, but as the picks kept coming, more and more quarterback deficient teams would pass on Sanders. It seemed like before every pick they would show Sheduer awaiting his call to the NFL. By the time Shedeur’s name was called by the Cleveland Browns in the fifth round, there were already five other quarterbacks selected before him.
This surprising turn of events caused a Colorado fan to sue the NFL for 100 millions dollars in punitive damages. This fan describes how the draft fall and outcome of the NFL draft caused emotional trauma and distress. Another interesting part of this lawsuit involves the fan’s use of the Sherman Antitrust Act and the Violation of the Civil Rights Act (CBS). The Sherman Antitrust Act prevents collusion amongst NFL teams, so if efficient evidence of the NFL violating this Act is presented the Sheduer Sanders draft fall would be much deeper and even more perplexing.
