Shedeur Sanders’ thin skin when being critiqued during interviews about his on-the-field shortcomings also played a role in why the New York Giants, Pittsburgh Steelers, and New Orleans Saints passed on him in the 2025 NFL Draft.
There was no bigger story during this year’s draft than Colorado star Shedeur Sanders’ fall from being a projected top-10 pick to a fifth-round selection. In the last few days, many reports and rumors have emerged about the reason behind his steep drop. Well, popular podcaster Colin Cowherd has offered up a couple of others heard [no pun intended] from sources in the NFL.
“A lot of times, when you go to these combine meetings, teams give you things to challenge you. Teams will have a player’s worst plays ready for them. And say, ‘Hey, why don’t you explain them,'” Cowherd said on a new edition of The Herd. “Sheduer, apparently, didn’t take to it well. And at one point, one of the few teams that actually was interested in him said, ‘What do you make of this really bad play?’ And Shedeur said, ‘Maybe I’m not the guy for you.’
“Um, that’s not the answer, since there were only three or four teams that were going to consider [drafting him]. Another one. What they do during the combine meetings is that teams will install mistakes intentionally planted in, and they want you to catch them,” he added. “Shedeur didn’t, and when a coach called him out, once again, it didn’t it well.”
There has been a lot of talk for weeks about the physical limitations that Sanders has. However, a very important element of being a starting QB at any level is being a leader. That player has to be able to deal with the slings and arrows the position gets from fans and media.
If true, it makes it understandable why many teams felt he wasn’t worth drafting in the first few rounds. Because not only were there big questions about his physical skills, but he created huge red flags on his mental makeup during interviews in February. Which is why organizations in major markets like the Giants, Steelers, and Saints probably passed on the young QB.
Related: Son of Atlanta Falcons’ DC Jeff Ulbrich admits to prank-calling Shedeur Sanders