Mel Kiper Jr. discusses the Pittsburgh Steelers as a landing spot for Shedeur Sanders, moments before they took Oregon defensive tackle Derrick Harmon. Photo Credit: ESPN Photo Credit: ESPN
ESPNNFLBy Michael Dixon on

Shedeur Sanders was not selected in the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft. But while his name was not called, it was said — a lot.

Mel Kiper Jr., ESPN’s longtime NFL Draft analyst, made Sanders a talking point throughout Thursday night’s first round. This included when the Tennessee Titans were on the clock, minutes away from making Miami quarterback Cam Ward the No. 1 overall pick.

Along with spending much of the Cam Ward pick announcement talking about the Browns-Jaguars trade, ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr. and Louis Riddick spent 2 minutes talking about Shedeur Sanders right before the whole football world knew the Titans were taking Ward. #NFL #NFLDraft

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— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing.bsky.social) April 24, 2025 at 9:50 PM

It didn’t stop there.

While there was initially some frustration that Ward — as the clear No. 1 pick — was being completely overshadowed, that happened to several other first-round picks, as well.

As the Steelers were leading into the No. 21 pick, it was brought up several times that Sanders would be a possible fit there.

But when the Steelers picked at 21, Sanders’ name was not called.

The thinking was that the Pittsburgh Steelers could take Shedeur Sanders at No. 21.

They did not.

Mel Kiper Jr. thought that should be the pick.

“If I’m Pittsburgh… Shedeur Sanders… to pass on him at this stage at pick 21… come on.” #NFL #NFLDraft

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— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing.bsky.social) April 24, 2025 at 10:57 PM

Another possible landing spot came later in the draft when the New York Giants traded up to the No. 25 pick. But while the Giants did select a quarterback, it was Ole Miss signal-caller Jaxson Dart.

Naturally, Kiper quickly made it clear that he’d prefer Sanders.

To be clear, other ESPN analysts were critical — or at least unsure — of Sanders as a prospect. It’s also not as though Kiper was the only analyst defending Sanders. On the NFL Network, Joel Klatt offered a fiery defense of Sanders.

That said, Kiper’s consistent focus on and praise of Sanders was a major talking point of those who watched ESPN’s coverage on Thursday night.

If nothing else, we know that we can expect a spirited reaction from Kiper when Sanders finally gets his name called.

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