Feelings overpour for Shedeur Sanders as he issues emotional farewell message to CU boys ahead of 2025 NFL draft
Shedeur Sanders made a name for himself beside his Colorado teammates. During the Buffaloes' showcase on Friday, he huddled with several of them, letting them know what they meant to him as he made his case to be taken early on in this month's 2025 NFL draft.
Cameras and microphones at the televised event picked up the heartfelt moment.
"Sh**, I'm proud that we all out here," Sanders said. "I love y'all boys. ... We don't know what's next, but let's do it. We gonna find our way together one day."
The Colorado showcase was an important step in Sanders' draft journey. He didn't take part in any college all-star games and only spoke at the NFL Scouting Combine in February. Prospective NFL teams wanted to see the quarterback up close before they'd invest a valued draft selection on him.
Sanders has seen his stock go up and down during the lead-up to the draft. The Athletic's Nick Baumgardner explained that situation in February.
"It's absolutely possible Sanders falls into the second round — his situation feels incredibly similar to what we saw with Will Levis back in 2023," Baumgardner wrote. "Teams did not see Levis as a top-15 player, and most didn't see him as a first-rounder. It only takes one team, of course.
"Sanders is likely this draft's best QB after Cam Ward, although the gap between the two is wider than many thought it'd be when the season ended. This scenario, with a team jumping back into the end of Round 1, could be how it plays out."
Where could Shedeur Sanders wind up in the 2025 NFL draft?
The Athletic's Bruce Feldman had the New York Giants drafting Shedeur Sanders with the No. 3 overall pick in his recent mock draft. It was higher than Baumgardner's previous projection when he had the QB going No. 28 overall to the New York Jets, who traded back into the initial round to get him.
"The Giants have a big need at quarterback," Feldman wrote on Friday. "Sanders, the son of football legend Deion Sanders, is a polarizing prospect. He and his dad arrived at Colorado two years ago and revived a program that had been left for dead.
"In two seasons, despite playing behind a woeful O-line, Sanders amassed a 64-to-13 touchdown-to-interception ratio."
Wherever Sanders is taken, he believes he'll succeed. He told teams at the combine that he feels he can help turn around a struggling franchise in the professional ranks as he did at Jackson State and Colorado on the collegiate level. He has his father's backing and his swagger, and whether that support and mindset will carry him remains to be seen.