"One of my top picks" - Rapper Meek Mill heaps praise on Shedeur Sanders as Colorado QB's draft slide continues

Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders received public support from rapper Meek Mill on Thursday night as he went undrafted in the first round of the NFL draft. The artist’s comments pointed to a broader conversation around Sanders’s background and the expectations surrounding him due to his father, Hall of Famer Deion Sanders.

“Shedeur Saunders one of my top picks..... got the strong black legendary father bloodline.... the blueprint and he put his pain in!!!!”

Despite entering the night with first-round hopes, Sanders was left waiting as no team called his name before Round 1 of the NFL draft came to a close. Instead, two other quarterbacks - Miami’s Cam Ward (No. 1; Tennessee Titans) and Ole Miss’s Jaxson Dart (No. 25; New York Giants via a trade back into the round with the Houston Texans).

The draft slide followed ESPN projections of Sanders as a top-21 selection. Despite high media interest, many within the league had concerns. Evaluators cited his slow processing, tendency to hold the ball too long, and challenges in Colorado's unique offensive system.

The 23-year-old faced criticism from unnamed scouts and coaches during the pre-draft process, with reports of poor interviews and demeanor issues. His close relationship with his father Deion Sanders - who coached him at both Jackson State and the Buffaloes - also raised questions in front offices.

Shedeur Sanders addressed the slide during his draft watch party.

“We all didn’t expect this, of course,” he said. “I don’t feel like this happened for no reason. All this is, of course, fuel to the fire. We all know this shouldn’t have happened. But we understand, we’re on to bigger and better things.”

While his drop drew attention, league insiders had long hinted at this possibility. Sanders now heads into Day 2 of the draft.

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Mel Kiper Jr. stands firm on Shedeur Sanders amid first-round slide

Mel Kiper Jr. was one of the most vocal supporters of Shedeur Sanders during the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft. As the ESPN broadcast unfolded over three hours, Kiper consistently returned to the Colorado quarterback’s name, expressing surprise as Sanders went unselected through all 32 picks. He spent nearly two minutes early in the broadcast comparing Sanders to No. 1 overall pick Ward.

“(Ward) can do things Shedeur can’t do,” he said. “But if Shedeur gets an offensive line in front of him – the exact same thing I said about Tom Brady when he came out as a sixth-round pick … when you look at Shedeur Sanders, everything you want an NFL quarterback to be, he has.”

When the Cleveland Browns and New Orleans Saints passed on the Colorado product in the top ten, Kiper pointed to New Orleans as an ideal landing spot. He later compared the situation to Aaron Rodgers’s slide in 2005, alluding that he viewed Sanders’s fall as one of the night’s most unexpected developments.