Regardless of how his NFL career pans out, the Shedeur Sanders slide in the 2025 NFL draft will be remembered as one of the most shocking storylines to ever come out of the event. Never before have football fans seen a prospect fall so dramatically relative to predraft expectations without an obvious reason why. It was so surprising, even NFL players were thrown off.
Minnesota Vikings superstar wideout Justin Jefferson was one such player. Speaking to Bleacher Report over the weekend, the All-Pro receiver gave his honest reaction to the news—as well as a possible silver lining for the young quarterback.
"I think it's crazy he dropped that far in the draft," Jefferson said. "I really don't think he should have dropped that far, just watching him the previous seasons and seeing the different things he did at Colorado. I definitely thought he should've been drafted in that first, second round. I guess it's just more fire for him and more chip on his shoulder that he can use going into the league."
When asked who should've grabbed Sanders earlier, Jefferson was ready with a few different options.
"I mean, New York doesn't really have a quarterback," he said. "Steelers. Cleveland definitely does need a quarterback also."
The Browns, of course, ultimately ended up picking Sanders with the 144th selection in the fifth round. It's now on the rookie quarterback to prove everybody wrong for passing on him multiple times over the course of the draft.
More NFL on Sports Illustrated
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Justin Jefferson Gives Honest Reaction to Shocking Shedeur Sanders Draft Slide.
