Shedeur Sanders Snubbed Again as Saints Pick Tyler Shough, Draft Drama Escalates

Shedeur Sanders' unexpected slide in the NFL Draft is stretching into a full-blown saga. After missing out on a first-round selection Thursday, the Colorado quarterback found himself still waiting when the second round wrapped and the New Orleans Saints handed the 40th overall pick to Louisville’s Tyler Shough instead.

The Saints’ decision to pass over Sanders – a player once hyped as a potential No. 1 pick – left fans and analysts reeling. Social media lit up with disbelief, especially since Shough wasn’t exactly topping the quarterback charts in most projections.

Fans wasted no time dredging up Shough’s less-than-stellar moments on the field, questioning the Saints' sense of strategy as the team faces uncertainty at quarterback heading into 2025. The Derek Carr shoulder injury drama isn’t making anything clearer, either – Saints GM Mickey Loomis only confirmed the "issue" this week, fueling further speculation around their QB plans.

Meanwhile, Sanders remains unclaimed, watching as NFL owners and general managers look elsewhere despite his impressive college stats and football pedigree.

Adding another layer to the spectacle, former President Donald Trump took to Truth Social to call out NFL owners, suggesting they were "stupid" for letting Sanders fall so far down the draft. Trump, never shy about his opinions, pointed to Deion Sanders’ NFL greatness and claimed Shedeur’s "phenomenal genes" should’ve sealed the deal.

Former Rep. Jamaal Bowman also jumped into the conversation, suggesting on X that Sanders’ draft slide has more to do with cultural and racial perceptions than football skills. Bowman argued, "The NFL doesn’t like [Shedeur] Sanders because he wears gold chains and talks like a rapper," and criticized the double standard compared to the likes of Eli Manning.

Inside the Sanders family, the confusion is palpable. Shilo Sanders, Shedeur’s brother, voiced his disbelief in a video shared by Deion Jr., saying, "If they don’t take him right now, it’s something going on." Shedeur, for his part, remained composed in a family speech, saying, "We all didn’t expect this, of course, but I feel like with God, anything possible, everything possible. All of this is, of course, fuel to the fire." There’s confidence that tomorrow brings new hope, and maybe, just maybe, the end to this roller-coaster draft ride.