‘Shedeur Sanders Is Not Remarkable or Rare’: Dan Orlovsky on Why Teams Won’t Trade Up Later to Draft Buffs QB

It seems the closer we get to the 2025 NFL Draft, the more negative sludge about Shedeur Sanders is pushed out. Earlier this week, Tom Pelissero published a report with a litany of negative (but anonymous) quotes about Sanders from various NFL execs and coaches.

Curiously, many of the criticisms focused more on Sanders as a person than as an athlete. This is surprising, given that he’s had no off-the-field issues in his young career despite his level of fame, and he’s never had any public spats or blow-ups with a teammate or coach. Nonetheless, ESPN analyst Dan Orlovsky recently added his voice to the anti-Shedeur Sanders chorus.

On First Take‘s 2025 NFL Draft Day morning show, Marcus Spears highlighted all of Sanders’ positives, particularly his pedigree. However, as has become typical during this cycle, no praise can be given to Shedeur without mentioning the negatives.

After hearing Spears’ praise, Orlovsky simply couldn’t help himself from bringing Shedeur back down to earth.

“While his dad was one of the greatest ever, Shedeur’s not that right now physically. He’s not this remarkable, rare, unbelievable unicorn athlete,” said the analyst.

We haven’t heard anyone call Shedeur an “unbelievable unicorn athlete” throughout this draft process, so why Orlovsky felt the need to clarify that is beyond us. But moving on, Orlovsky doesn’t believe that Sanders has those “uncoachable, physical traits”—for example, arm talent or mobility—that will convince a team to trade back up into the first round to select him.

“Remember a couple of years ago, when Green Bay traded back up into the back-end of the first round and selected Jordan Love? They did that because Jordan Love has got uncoachable physical traits,” Orlovsky prodded on.

“A couple of years ago, the Baltimore Ravens did it with Lamar Jackson. Uncoachable physical traits. So the guys that teams have gone back into the first round, they’ve traded for and selected them at quarterback that have worked out, they’ve had those uncoachable physical traits,” he added.

Orlovsky pointed out that QBs selected in the back half of the first round who didn’t possess those physical traits, like Brandon Weeden or Kenny Pickett, failed to have successful NFL careers.

Funnily enough, the team that made the Pickett mistake in 2022—the Pittsburgh Steelers—are the same team Orlovsky believes will draft Sanders in the first round at No. 21 overall.

“I think Shedeur is going to go 21 to the Steelers tonight. Everything that you hear is that there’s people in their building that are very important decision-makers that really like Shedeur. So I do think he goes 21.”

.@danorlovsky7 believes teams trade back later into the first round to select QBs with "uncoachable, physical traits."

"[Shedeur's] not this remarkable, rare, unbelievable unicorn athlete." pic.twitter.com/KQii8rZ9Tq

— First Take (@FirstTake) April 24, 2025

 

Orlovsky wasn’t necessarily wrong in his criticisms of Shedeur Sanders. They did, however, seem like criticisms that had already been made and didn’t need to be underlined again the way he did here.

In any event, we would agree that at this point, with all the negativity surrounding Shedeur, he’s unlikely to be taken in the top 10. And we begrudgingly agree with Orlovsky that a team won’t trade back up into the first round for Shedeur either. That only leaves Mike T and the Steel City.