Shedeur Sanders has to wait a little longer in NFL draft

Quarterback not selected in first round, but Jackson State’s T.C. Taylor notes confidence as one of Sanders’ strengths

GREEN BAY, Wis. – Colorado Buffalo teammates Shedeur Sanders and Travis Hunter entered Thursday night with the expectations to be the first pair of Colorado teammates drafted in the first round of the NFL draft since 2011.

Hunter, the reigning Heisman winner, was selected with the No. 2 pick in the draft by the Jacksonville Jaguars. But Sanders, a hopeful to carry on the family legacy of his Hall of Fame father Deion Sanders as a first-round draft pick, ended Thursday night without hearing his name called and now faces uncertainty heading into Day 2 of the NFL draft.

Sanders spent the final two seasons of his collegiate career at Colorado after transferring in from Jackson State. He threw for 4,134 yards and 37 touchdowns this past season while completing 74% of his passes, leading the nation.

Sanders’ omission this year ends a two-year streak of at least two Black quarterbacks being selected in the first round of the NFL draft. No.1 overall pick Cam Ward was the only Black quarterback selected in the first round of this year’s draft. The New York Giants, a quarterback-needy team with reported ties to Sanders, went in another direction and traded back into the first round to select Ole Miss’ Jaxson Dart at No. 25 overall.

Heading into Day 2 of the draft, the Cleveland Browns are on the clock. After filling a defensive need in the first round, trading back to No. 5 to select Michigan defensive tackle Mason Graham, quarterback is another positional need for the Browns. Last season’s starting quarterback Deshaun Watson tore his Achilles tendon in Week 7 and will likely miss significant time in the 2025 season as the organization announced a setback in his recovery after retearing his Achilles in January.

Current Jackson State head coach T.C. Taylor, who worked on the coaching staff for Sanders’ first two collegiate seasons, believes Sanders’ confidence is the difference maker.

“Any time you have a quarterback that has that kind of confidence, that makes the rest of the team know that we’re going to be alright and we’ve got the right guy leading,” Taylor said. “That’s what Shedeur has done. His time here [at Jackson State] and in Colorado, you said that he’s a highly confident kid, but he goes out there and plays the game well. A lot of people don’t realize how tough he is [and] how knowledgeable he is as a quarterback. Confidence, that’s one of his strengths.”

News of Sanders falling out of the first round was a shock to Hunter. The two-way player paused his press conference — confidence that he’d hear Sanders’ name — when the New Orleans Saints’ first-round selection was about to be announced. When the Saints passed at No. 9 overall, Hunter said he would be excited about the phone call he would give to Sanders later on in the night once his name was called, but the two will have to wait longer.

Despite being projected to be selected within the top 5 picks of the draft, Hunter was unsure of where he would land. In a blockbuster trade, the Jaguars received the No. 2 pick, a fourth-round pick (No. 104), and a sixth-round pick (No. 200), but relinquished the rights to the No. 5 overall pick, a second-round pick (No. 36), a fourth-round pick (No. 126), and a 2026 first-round pick – a hefty price for Hunter’s services.

Hunter admitted that the Jaguars didn’t speak to him much during the pre-draft process, but he is looking forward to returning to Florida after being born and raised in West Palm Beach, 300 miles south of Jacksonville.

“I think I just fit the culture in Florida. I’m from Florida, so I think my place is that I fit the culture. I was super-excited,” Hunter said. “I always had that small belief that I would be in Jacksonville, but I didn’t know for sure until tonight, so I was definitely excited and surprised a little bit.”

According to Hunter there are no guarantees whether he plays solely on offense or defense or both. In his final college season, Hunter tallied 96 receptions for 1,258 yards and 15 touchdowns, while adding 35 total tackles, 11 pass defenses, and four interceptions on defense.

Hunter’s versatility immediately fills two glaring needs for Jacksonville. A season ago, the Jaguars defense allowed 389.9 yards per game, second-highest in the league. On offense, the Jaguars ranked 24th in passing yards per game (204.5), with Brian Thomas Jr. finishing third in the NFL in receiving yards.

Will Hunter get the opportunity to play both offense and defense some believe he should?

“You can tell that he was going to be one of the great ones,” Taylor said. “A great young man [and] tremendous athlete. Everybody was talking about all the snaps he plays as a football player, but he’s always ready to go. He’s one of the most in-shape, knowledgeable football players.

“It’s crazy not to give him that opportunity. He’s done both at the highest level. You’re talking about a young man who’s arguably the No. 1 corner and No. 1 receiver in the draft. He didn’t have those ratings for no reason.”

Mia Berry is the senior HBCU writer for Andscape and covers everything from sports to student-led protests. She is a Detroit native (What up Doe!), long-suffering Detroit sports fan and Notre Dame alumna who randomly shouts, "Go Irish."