Through two days of the 2025 NFL Draft, fans have focused on a player yet to be picked: Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders, son of Hall of Fame athlete and current Colorado coach Deion Sanders. After a significant slide in the draft, Sanders is set to be chosen on Day 3, landing ultimately with the Cleveland Browns with the 144th pick in Round 5.

According to CBS Sports NFL insider Jonathan Jones, this decline in draft position reflects not on Shedeur’s skills but on the overall pre-draft strategy employed by him and those around him.

“This is clearly a way for the NFL, and its teams, to let [Shedeur] and anyone else after him know, you can’t comport yourself in this way moving forward,” said Jones.

Jones asserted that this was a substantial message from the NFL, indicating that mistakes made by Sanders throughout the draft process contributed significantly to his slide. Not only was Sanders’ visibility low, but missteps during interviews and social media posts led teams to question his preparation and seriousness about the draft.