Night two of the NFL Draft is set to kick off in just a couple of hours. Several surprising names have slipped to the second round after being projected to go early in the first round or somewhere within it. But as always, things don’t always go according to plan—especially when those plans are in the hands of others.
One of the most surprising slides so far belongs to Shedeur Sanders, the son of former NFL star Deion Sanders. At the end of the college season, Sanders was projected to be the third overall pick. Mel Kiper even believes Sanders is the best quarterback prospect in this class—better than the first overall pick, Cam Ward.
There’s no clear indication of where Sanders might land, though he’s been linked to the Pittsburgh Steelers throughout much of the draft process.
“$30 million a year for DK Metcalf... you have to get a quarterback,” Mike Tannenbaum said.
ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith believes he knows why Sanders is falling on draft boards—and it might have everything to do with his father.
“NFL teams don't want to deal with Shedeur Sanders because of his dad's influence and they 'can't admit it,’” Smith said. “[Shedeur's] not gonna just take instructions... he's going to challenge your football intellect."
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No one has been a louder supporter of Sanders than Skip Bayless, who’s made it clear where he thinks Sanders should have been drafted.
Just a few hours before night two, Adam Schefter dropped a bombshell about a potential landing spot for Sanders—and it’s one that few expected.
“I won't be surprised if Tyler Shough goes ahead of Shedeur Sanders. ... I think we may get a team that we never connected to him,” Schefter said.
This opens the door to a lot of possibilities. Sanders could fall deep into the second round—or be one of the first names called tonight.