"They did not intend to draft him" - Steelers insider reveals reason behind Pittsburgh passing on Shedeur Sanders

Pittsburgh’s decision to pass on Shedeur Sanders during the 2025 NFL draft has caused a lot of talk. On Tuesday, Steelers insider Gerry Dulac explained on the “Rich Eisen Show” exactly what the team's strategy was on the Colorado quarterback.

Dulac clarified that Pittsburgh wasn’t interested in the 23-year-old and the team never planned to draft Sanders. He added that had Sanders been available later on in the draft, the Steelers still wouldn't have drafted him.

The team liked Jaxson Dart more, but never considered Sanders a top pick. Dulac said:

“I can't tell you where he was in a pecking order, Rich, but I will tell you, despite what all the national people thought, they [the Steelers] did not intend to draft him. You know, if he was there on the sixth round, and maybe...But you know the people that had him going to the Steelers and had him going at 21, that just wasn't going to happen. No quarterback was going at 21. That includes Jaxson Dart, who they did have a first-round grade on…"

And you could see how many times they passed on him, if they were going to take him, they would have tried to take them in the fourth round. But it wasn't high on their list,” he added.

Former NFL MVP Boomer Esiason shared more details on WFAN Sports Radio. He said that several NFL teams took Shedeur Sanders off their draft boards because team owners, including Steelers’ owner Art Rooney II, didn’t want to draft Sanders because of his attitude.

He was seen as “entitled”, mostly because of the statements both Shedeur and Deion Sanders made in different podcasts and shows going into the draft.

Head coach Mike Tomlin had said good things about the 23-year-old before the draft. But if the owners had told the team not to pick him, it’d explain why Pittsburgh let Sanders go.

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Cris Carter slams Shedeur Sanders for costing himself millions in draft fall

NFL Hall of Famer Cris Carter criticized Shedeur Sanders for his fall to the fifth round, saying the quarterback cost himself millions. During a Monday episode of the “Fully Loaded” podcast, Carter alluded that Sanders's focus on accessories, like his $100K necklace, and his inability to sell himself to teams, hurt his draft stock.

“So for his job interview, he was so concerned about what his outfit was, his necklace was over a hundred grand,” Carter said. "Matter of fact, he had convinced people that they were better off going in a different direction even with people who had lesser talent. That's the rub he put onto people...He threw away at least 30 to 50 million dollars."

Carter also pointed to mistakes Shedeur Sanders and his family made by believing that he was being evaluated similarly to top QBs like Eli Manning. He believes the NFL "taught Sanders a lesson," showing that the young QB still has a lot to learn about the business side of the league.