Sean Payton baffled at Shedeur Sanders being ditched by QB-needy teams in "surprising" Day 2 snub - "Holy cow!"

Sean Payton has seen, heard, and felt it all in the NFL - from resounding victories like the New Orleans Saints' triumphant run to Super Bowl XLIV to crushing defeats like the Denver Broncos' 20-70 shellacking at the Miami Dolphins in 2023. But even he will admit that the main storyline of the 2025 Draft is something that baffles him.

On Friday, fans around the world watched in stunned silence as multiple teams, especially the quarterback-needy ones, continued snubbing Colorado Buffaloes quarterback Shedeur Sanders after having done so in the first round. It represented a dramatic fall for the highly-hyped son of Hall of Famer Deion - one that the veteran head coach struggled to explain in a press conference:

“I think we’re all surprised and yet, the talent, holy cow.”

He also gave this stern warning:

“There will be this chip on his shoulder and beware, because this guy is going to play in this league. I think it’s hard for any of us to explain what other people are looking for. We focus on what we’re looking for. I think it’s surprising.”

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Sean Payton defends Broncos' decision to draft CB Jahdae Barron 20th overall

Sticking to the Draft, the Broncos made a shocker at 20th overall when they went for Texas cornerback Jahdae Barron, even though 1) they already have reigning Defensive Player of the Year Pat Surtain II and Riley Moss at the position and 2) they badly needed a running back after losing Javonte Williams to the Dallas Cowboys in free agency.

However, those points do not matter to Sean Payton. In a presser held moments after the first round, he defended the decision, dismissing the analysts' projections as "embarrassing":

"You look at this year’s draft, we felt like it was a thin year at some of the defensive backs. We watched film for the better part of three hours today, [saying], ‘If we get this player offensively, all right, great. If we don’t, here’s a clump.’"

He added:

"There’s depth in some other positions. There’s depth at running back. So managing it and looking at the grade… There were probably six picks we had to get past as he sat there. I think it was value but also knowing what the next few days present relative to the other positions."

The Broncos would eventually draft a running back in the second round: UCF's RJ Harvey at no. 60. Fourteen picks later, they also added a wide receiver in Illinois' Pat Bryant.