"Very good chance he is not selected on Thursday" - NFL Insider serves Shedeur Sanders brutal reality check amid tanking draft stock

Shedeur Sanders has been offered a harsh reality check just before the 2025 NFL draft. The Colorado star's stock has reportedly been tanking over the past few weeks, and NFL Insider Jonathan Jones has suggested that Sanders might not be taken in the first round.

On Wednesday, Jones dropped a bombshell, hinting that Sanders would not be taken on Day 1 of the draft on Thursday.

"He could go out of the first round," Jones said on CBS Sports Network. "He very well may not be a first-round quarterback. He may not be the second quarterback that is selected. Different teams have different valuations on him. More teams than not that I speak to tell me they have a second-round grade on Shedeur."

Jones said that most teams believe that Sanders does not have the arm strength of most of the first-round picks, while also referring to reports about the QB's interviews with different teams.

"I think that there's a very good chance that he is not selected on Thursday night," Jones said. "I think the logical place he goes to is the Pittsburgh Steelers, No. 21. But if he doesn't, and a team does not trade up for him back into the first round of the draft, he will be waiting to hear his name being called out on Friday."

Sanders was initially tipped as a top-three pick after his final year at Colorado. However, after he did not take part in the physical drills at the Scouting Combine, Sanders' sock reportedly fell.

Ever since then, Sanders has been projected as a top-10 pick, with some suggesting that he might go as late as No. 21 pick to the Steelers. However, Jones has not hinted that Sanders might not go as a Round 1 pick entirely.

Shedeur Sanders had his No. 2 Colorado jersey retired just before 2025 NFL draft

NCAA Football: Colorado QB Shedeur Sanders - Source: Imagn

Shedeur Sanders' No. 2 Colorado jersey was retired by the program at CU's spring football game on Saturday. The QB played two seasons with the Buffs and was honored at Folsom Field as part of the festivities.

During his final year at Colorado, Sanders threw for 4,134 passing yards, 37 touchdowns, and rushed for four TDs. He won the Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year award in the process and it did well for his draft stock.

Nonetheless, it remains to be seen whether Sanders will get picked in Round 1 of the draft on Thursday.