Mel Kiper Jr. discusses the Pittsburgh Steelers as a landing spot for Shedeur Sanders, moments before they took Oregon defensive tackle Derrick Harmon. Photo Credit: ESPN Photo Credit: ESPN
ESPNNFLBy Michael Dixon on

Shedeur Sanders was not selected in the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft. But while his name was not called, it was said — a lot.

Mel Kiper Jr., ESPN’s longtime NFL Draft analyst, made Sanders a talking point throughout Thursday night’s first round. This included when the Tennessee Titans were on the clock, minutes away from making Miami quarterback Cam Ward the No. 1 overall pick.

It didn’t stop there.

While there was initially some frustration that Ward — as the clear No. 1 pick — was being completely overshadowed, that happened to several other first-round picks, as well.

As the Steelers were leading into the No. 21 pick, it was brought up several times that Sanders would be a possible fit there.

But when the Steelers picked at 21, Sanders’ name was not called.

Another possible landing spot came later in the draft when the New York Giants traded up to the No. 25 pick. But while the Giants did select a quarterback, it was Ole Miss signal-caller Jaxson Dart.

Naturally, Kiper quickly made it clear that he’d prefer Sanders.

To be clear, other ESPN analysts were critical — or at least unsure — of Sanders as a prospect. It’s also not as though Kiper was the only analyst defending Sanders. On the NFL Network, Joel Klatt offered a fiery defense of Sanders.

That said, Kiper’s consistent focus on and praise of Sanders was a major talking point of those who watched ESPN’s coverage on Thursday night.

If nothing else, we know that we can expect a spirited reaction from Kiper when Sanders finally gets his name called.

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