Shedeur Sanders’ pre-draft odyssey on the odds boards was something to see. He was originally ranked as the favorite to go No. 1 overall in the 2025 NFL Draft back in December. He then saw his stock fall continuously over the next four months. Prior to the first round on Thursday, it was expected that he’d go in the first round. If not then, he’d surely be snapped up on Day 2 during Round 2 or Round 3.
Advertisement
Unfortunately for Shedeur, that’s not how it went down. While his teammate and buddy, Travis Hunter, went exactly where he was expected to at No. 2 overall, Sanders didn’t hear his name called at all on Day 1. And then, Day 2 passed without so much as a peep about a team thinking about selecting him. He remained available through much of the fourth round, continuing one of the most epic NFL Draft free-falls ever.
At this point, many believe his most likely destinations have shifted from teams looking for a starter to teams looking for a backup. According to NFLRumors, there has been some smoke around the defending champion Philadelphia Eagles nabbing him in these later rounds to serve as the backup to their franchise QB, Jalen Hurts.
The #Eagles could be a dark horse team to potentially take a chance on Shedeur Sanders, #FlyEaglesFly #NFLDraft pic.twitter.com/T4QVLDGQHK
— NFL Rumors (@nflrums) April 26, 2025
Hurts is one of the highest-paid QBs in the league and is coming off a Super Bowl MVP performance, so his spot is safe. That would mean Philly is selecting Sanders as nothing more than a backup and a possible trade piece in the future. Howie Roseman always thinks about all possibilities.
Many fans agree that at this point, Shedeur is in backup territory, which means every team is on the table as a possible landing spot: “Given that he is in clear backup territory, virtually every team could be in play.” Two Eagles fans familiar with Roseman’s wheeling and dealing also said variations of, “This would not surprise me“.
Others pointed out the negative perception surrounding Shedeur and how even a move as innocuous as this would cause people to talk smack, “People will still find a way to hate…“. Another quipped that the outspoken Shedeur in Philly, along with that nutty fanbase, would be as entertaining as it gets: “Shedeur and Philly fans will be must watch tv“.
Nonetheless, the Eagles’ scenario seems unlikely. Why draft a player to be a backup when you know they have designs on a starting job? To that end, it seems the Las Vegas Raiders, Pittsburgh Steelers, and the Cleveland Browns are the three main options for the Colorado star.
The Raiders have a perfect scenario where he could sit behind Geno Smith for a year or two while learning from NFL legends Pete Carroll and Tom Brady. Pittsburgh, meanwhile, only has Mason Rudolph and Skylar Thompson at QB right now, so that’s probably his last chance at a competition for a QB1 job as a rookie.
In the Forest City, Shedeur can learn the ropes from a veteran like Joe Flacco and steadily improve before taking the reins.
Recent update: The Browns have selected Shedeur Sanders with the 144th overall pick. With Flacco and Dillon Gabriel in the QB room, the competition in Cleveland is definitely something to watch.
