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In a pretty stunning piece in Sports Illustrated, Sanders is described as a player who failed to catch planted mistakes and even went as far as challenging some team personnel in film sessions when shown his own mistakes by saying maybe he just wasn't "the right fit" for them. It's a pretty stunning report and could shine some light on why he fell all the way to the fifth round. In short, it really does sound like teams looked at him as a player with average-to-good physical traits, but also one who takes too many sacks and most importantly, came off as entitled. In short, the baggage was too heavy for the NFL to invest much in. Sanders will have a chance to compete and make the roster as a fifth rounder, but nothing is guaranteed. He's gone from an intriguing prospect to a late round flier in rookie drafts, though he'll be overdrafted everywhere based on dynasty managers likely thinking they know more than the NFL. We likely don't.

There were a lot of value losers in the 2025 NFL Draft, then there's Sanders, who at one time not too long ago was considered the favorite to be top overall selection. Instead, he not only fell out of the first round, he fell out of the top four rounds, finally taken by the Browns with pick #144 in round five. It was made crystal clear by what amounts to the entire NFL that the attention that inevitably was going to come with drafting Sanders just wasn't worth it. In the end, Sanders will compete not with Joe Flacco and Kenny Pickett to start, but with Dillon Gabriel for an active roster spot and avoidance of the practice squad. Sanders looks like a player who will be overdrafted in rookie drafts based on his name alone, but his career is now no sure thing.

The rumors of a draft freefall for Sanders ended up coming true as he waited to hear his name called all Thursday night only to see it never happen. It's clear there are some real concerns about Sanders and it's hard to look at his talent and believe those are all on-the-field issues teams are leery of. He should go early in round two, but this could be a bit of a humbling experience for Sanders, who was the odds-on favorite to go first overall just a few months ago. He could still surpass Jaxson Dart as the QB2 in the class, but he'll need to be taken relatively soon for that to happen.

It's rumor season as teams start to jockey for positioning in the upcoming NFL Draft. Still, this isn't the first report we've seen indicating Sanders is no lock to go in the top three picks. This is, however, the first we've seen that has him falling out of round one. Realistically, it seems the furthest he could possibly fall is to the end of round one as teams look to possibly move into that area to secure a fourth-year option on his contract. Regardless, Sanders is starting to look like a player who's getting more polarizing by the day.

This seems to be the most likely scenario being thrown around with Cam Ward going first to the Titans and pass rusher Abdul Carter likely going second to the Browns. If Sanders goes to New York, he'd need to compete with both Russell Wilson and Jameis Winston to earn time early in his career, but he'd be expected to start at some point unless Wilson really played like vintage "Dangeruss." Regardless, Sanders looks destined to be a top-five pick and likely top selection in rookie drafts as well.

No surprise here, really. Sanders is protecting his own interests and his Father is pulling some pretty tight strings as well. In some ways, Sanders controls his own destiny as he's one of very few players who doesn't necessarily need the NFL paycheck to lose leverage. In the end, he's likely going to be a top-five pick, but that team is also going to need some assurance that he's willing to play for them as well. Regardless, he looks like a solid first round rookie pick this Spring.

The Giants need a new quarterback and have to be sitting on pins and needles, hoping Ward and Sanders aren't both off the board when they pick at #3. With a lot of teams willing to maneuver around to get one of the two, this is far from a given. It's also unclear how much say Deion Sanders is going to have in the situation as it seems clear he's willing to do whatever he can to steer his son's future where he wants it. Regardless, this would be a good landing spot for Sanders, who could grow along with Malik Nabers in creating a refreshed offense for the G-man. Regardless, he'll be in consideration with Ward towards the top of Superflex drafts this Spring.