Just about everyone who covers the NFL has shared their opinions on Shedeur Sanders falling out of the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft. Colin Cowherd did the same on The Herd on Friday. But more importantly, Cowherd believes that Sanders’ fall can be a learning lesson for future NFL draft prospects.
All throughout the pre-draft process, reports have circulated highlighting how Sanders’ personality perhaps wasn’t received all that favorably by NFL front offices. This raised obvious questions as to whether these “pile on” reports about Sanders’ character could potentially affect his draft stock.
We now of course know that something affected Sanders’ draft stock, whether it be related to his character of his collegiate resume. And Cowherd believes that it was ultimately due to Sanders coming off as “cocky” in the eyes of NFL front offices.
“It’s never a bad message to tell your kids to be humble,” said Cowherd. “Humility works in the summer, in the fall, in the spring, in the winter. Don’t gas your kids up too much. It didn’t really bother me when they retired Shedeur Sanders’ number. But he is a .500 quarterback who couldn’t get drafted in the first round. It’s a little much. Everything is something and nothing is everything. Shedeur Sanders didn’t get drafted. There is multiple reports, a little cocky. But I’m watching his draft room and the word legendary is all around the draft room.
“Can we just cool the temperature down a little? It’s not the end of the world. If he had Caleb Williams’ talent, nobody would care. But the whole thing… Bro, you wore New York Giants’ cleats. Remember when he wore the New York Giants’ cleats? I know in society everybody loves the TikTok watch thing. You know who doesn’t apparently love it? NFL executives. You are drafting employees. That is all these teams are doing. Did you notice the two players in the first round that moved up about ten spots? What a shock, two A+ character. Can we just go back in society where hard work matters and humility’s not uncool?”
“Can we just go back in society where hard work matters and humility’s not uncool?”
After Shedeur Sanders fell out of the first round, @ColinCowherd wants to remind you: stay humble pic.twitter.com/gLgj5uo1TR
— Herd w/Colin Cowherd (@TheHerd) April 25, 2025
Cowherd’s alluding to Sanders’ potentially not putting in the work required to be a first-round pick seems a bit unfair. But it is fair to question whether slipping out of the first round may be at least somewhat self-inflicted.
As Cowherd alluded to, Sanders did wear New York Giant-themed cleats ahead of his final game at Colorado, only for the Giants to trade back into the first round and select Jaxson Dart over him. Maybe putting all of his eggs into the Giants’ basket before his career at Colorado was even complete turned teams away from selecting him.
Either way, it will certainly be interesting to see how far Sanders does truly slide down the draft board on Day 2.