Michael Irvin on Shedeur Sanders’ slide in NFL Draft: ‘I have no earthly way of explaining it’

Michael Irvin has seen just about everything there is to see in the NFL over the course of his illustrious career and his post-football career as an NFL analyst. But after watching Shedeur Sanders fall out of the first round, Irvin, who typically always has plenty to say, was largely rendered speechless.

Sanders’ draft day slide was naturally the biggest topic of conversation on the majority of studio shows on Friday, which was also the case on FS1’s Speak, a show that Irvin is an analyst on.

When asked by Keyshawn Johnson why he believed that Sanders’ didn’t hear his name called on Thursday, Irvin went into detail about how he has zero logical explanation for every team passing on him in the first round.

“Man, I love this game. I love it more than anything in world,” said Irvin. “And I have watched it all my life. From the time I watched with my father to this day. And I have looked at a lot of areas of this game trying to get an advantage to get better in this game. I have no earthly idea of what I just witnessed. Of all my years of playing, watching, studying this game, I have no earthly way of explaining what I just saw. When we talk about what we saw on the college football field the last few years with this man. There is no way that happened.

“I hear people talking about his arm strength. Though I have been to quite a few games and watched him play where he stood on one hashmark and threw that out-ball all the way to the other side of the football field. And he didn’t dirt that football. He made those completions all the time. I have seen him throw the deep ball and make perfect throws on the deep ball. He is as accurate as there is a quarterback coming out of college football. And the value we put on quarterbacks in this league. It is shocking that Shedeur Sanders did not get drafted last night. And asking me, what was the reason? I don’t know is the answer. I don’t think in all of my years of being around this game I have ever seen it. But I can see it this time. I don’t know.”

Michael Irvin on Shedeur Sanders not getting drafted in the first round:

“I have no earthly idea of what I just witnessed. Of all my years of playing, watching, studying this game, I have no earthly way of explaining what I just saw.” #NFL #NFLDraftpic.twitter.com/TGwvAFmizj

— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) April 25, 2025

Irvin did of course play with Deion Sanders in Dallas for four seasons and formed a long-term friendship from their playing days. So there is certainly potential that Irvin may be a bit biased when it comes to Shedeur’s abilities at the NFL level.

Still, Irvin does raise some fair points in breaking down how Sanders was able to make every throw on the field at the collegiate level. Based solely on his game film, one would assume that Sanders would have easily been a first round talent based on how much value has been placed on the quarterback position in the NFL.