Last Thursday, the 2025 NFL Draft got underway in Green Bay. Although this year’s quarterback draft class was widely regarded as weaker than the high-profile prospects of 2024—such as Caleb Williams, Jayden Daniels and Drake Maye—it still delivered plenty of excitement and drama.

The biggest headline of the draft was Shedeur Sanders, NFL legend Deion Sanders’ son, who at one point was a projected top-three overall pick, but fell to the fifth round and eventually became the 144th overall pick by the Cleveland Browns. In fact, many thought Sanders would get picked by the Browns in the first round, but Cleveland passed on the Colorado quarterback several times. In the previous round, Cleveland also selected one of Sanders’ quarterback classmates, Dillon Gabriel.

Throughout the NFL Draft season, there seemed to be only two contenders for the first overall pick: Miami’s Cam Ward and Sanders. With Cam Ward beating out Sanders after being drafted first overall by the Tennessee Titans, many still expected Sanders to get picked soon after. Not being drafted until the third day of the draft raised speculation from many analysts and fans. The main explanations that have circulated are Sanders’ talent and his celebrity and controversial character. Many analysts, including ESPN’s Matt Miller, have critiqued Sanders’ quarterback abilities, noting that he is not a true “first-round talent.” In part, many agree that the Colorado quarterback lacked ideal first-round skills. For example, former Detroit Lions quarterback and ESPN analyst Dan Orlovsky harped on Sanders’ lack of pocket awareness, often taking an excessive amount of sacks, sometimes knocking Colorado out of field goal range.

While many may agree he lacks certain first-round quarterback polish, the argument is that Sanders should not have fallen to the fifth round. Many attribute his historic fall in the draft to him being the son of Deion Sanders and the amount of leverage that Shedeur Sanders tried to create in the draft process. Many teams feared drafting Shedeur Sanders because of the concerns about his father potentially influencing his NFL career and leading to a situation where Deion Sanders would become the head coach if Shedeur Sanders struggled. Additionally, some felt that the potential for a family dynasty could be a distraction or a point of contention within the team.

There was also speculation that Sanders was trying to choose the team that drafts him by intentionally ‘tanking’ draft meetings with teams he did not desire to play for. For example, Sanders had a poor meeting with the New York Giants. Reportedly, Sanders was unprepared for an offensive install with head coach Brian Daboll, and when he was called out for it, a heated exchange took place; Daboll did not appreciate Sanders’ attitude. The Giants took Ole Miss Quarterback Jaxson Dart in the first round. Ultimately, a combination of Sanders’ questionable first-round talent and his distracting antics led him to fall all the way to the fifth round. However, rounds two and three averaged 7.5 million viewers, the second most-watched second day on record, and rounds 4-6 averaged 4.3 million viewers, making it the most-watched third day on record. Many assume the increased popularity of the later rounds this year was due to Shedeur Sanders waiting to be drafted—unfortunate for Sanders but great for the NFL.

Other notable draft news was the Jacksonville Jaguars trading up to the second overall pick to select two-way star and Heisman winner Travis Hunter. The Las Vegas Raiders selected running back Ashton Jeanty with the sixth overall pick. Many approve of Jeanty’s skill set, but today’s league does not value paying or prioritizing running backs due to their disposability, which is why many were surprised by the Raiders’ pick. Also, many analysts considered the New England Patriots’ draft to be one of the best, selecting Will Campbell to bolster their offensive line and picking Ohio State running back TreVeyon Henderson in the second round. The Patriots also selected Kobee Minor with the 257th and final draft pick, referred to as “Mr. Irrelevant.”