The NFL Draft has become one of the premier events on the sports calendar, as prospects will see their childhood dreams fulfilled by officially entering the league.
Many of the top prospects opt to attend the draft in person, which gives them the chance to shake Roger Goodell's hand on stage and have their moment in the spotlight. However, that experience is not for everyone, as some players have decided to skip the event and instead celebrate elsewhere.
The most notable player not attending the draft this year is Colorado's Shedeur Sanders. While the quarterback has a chance to be a high pick, he prefers to pass on heading to Green Bay to spend the day in a different way.
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Here's a breakdown of why Sanders and some other top prospects will not be at the NFL Draft this year.
Is Shedeur Sanders at the NFL Draft?
Shedeur Sanders is not attending the 2025 NFL Draft in Green Bay.
Instead, Sanders will either be in Boulder, Colorado or Dallas, Texas during the event, as he prefers to spend the time with family and friends instead of with the other prospects.
"We plan on doing like an event thing where it'll be fun, it'll be more family-friendly," Sanders told Overtime in February. "I want to spend those moments with my people and you got to think, having everybody come out there, that's going to be so expensive, you feel me."
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Sanders wants to celebrate this moment with the people that helped him get to this point, so he has decided not to go through the hassle of attending the draft in person.
"It's not just me that was able to get to this point. It's a team thing, it's a team of people that helped me and allowed me to get to where I am now, so I want to be able to make sure I am able to enjoy that with everybody."
In January, Colorado head coach Deion Sanders announced that the Buffaloes would hold a public draft party for both Shedeur and his former Colorado teammate, Travis Hunter.
"We're going to do it in Boulder, Colorado, and celebrate it with the fans in the gymnasium," Sanders said, via NBC Sports. "We're going to pack the house. It's going to be phenomenal. But those two will probably go in the first two to three picks."
However, while Sanders seems to be sticking to that plan, Hunter instead decided that he will be one of the prospects in Green Bay.
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Is Tyler Warren at the NFL Draft?
The Penn State tight end is a potential top-10 pick this year, but he will not attend the draft in person. Instead, Pro Football Talk reported that Warren declined an invitation from the NFL, instead choosing to watch the event with his grandparents and the rest of his family.
Warren won the John Mackey Award in 2024 for the best tight end in the country and is the favorite to be the first tight end off the board in the draft.
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Prospects at the 2025 NFL Draft
One of the best parts of the NFL Draft is seeing players achieve their dreams and shake Roger Goodell's hand on stage immediately after getting drafted. However, only a select few will have the opportunity to attend the draft in Green Bay.
After the NFL extended invitations for prospects to attend the NFL draft, 17 of those prospects accepted and will be in Green Bay on April 24. The league presumably expects these players to be potential first-round draft picks, so they don't have to endure a long wait in the green room.
Here's a look at who will be attending this year's NFL Draft.
| Player | Position | College |
| Tyler Booker | OG | Alabama |
| Jihaad Campbell | LB | Alabama |
| Will Campbell | OL | LSU |
| Abdul Carter | DE | Penn State |
| Jaxson Dart | QB | Ole Miss |
| Matthew Golden | WR | Texas |
| Mason Grahan | DT | Michigan |
| Travis Hunter | WR/CB | Colorado |
| Ashton Jeanty | RB | Boise State |
| Will Johnson | CB | Michigan |
| Tetairoa McMillan | WR | Arizona |
| Jalen Milroe | QB | Alabama |
| Josh Simmons | OT | Ohio State |
| Malaki Starks | S | Georgia |
| Shemar Stewart | DE | Texas A&M |
| Cam Ward | QB | Miami |
| Mykel Williams | DE | Georgia |
When is the NFL Draft?
- Date: Thursday, April 24
- Time: 8:00 p.m. ET
The NFL Draft kicks off with the first round on Thursday, April 24. ABC, ESPN and NFL Network will all have coverage of the event over the following few days.