3 teams say they had first-round grade on QB Shedeur Sanders, AP sources say

Two general managers and one head coach were surprised Shedeur Sanders wasn’t selected Thursday night because their teams had first-round grades on him, they told The Associated Press.

Another GM told the AP he gave Sanders a second-round grade. All four have franchise QBs and spoke on condition of anonymity because Sanders is still on the draft board.

The Colorado quarterback was expected to be a top-five pick early in the draft process with some analysts listing him ahead of Cam Ward, who went No. 1 overall to Tennessee.

But various media outlets cited unidentified sources, who criticized the son of Hall of Famer Deion Sanders in the weeks leading up to the draft and he slipped out of the first round entirely.

The Giants twice passed on Sanders at No. 3 and No. 25 when they moved up to select Ole Miss quarterback Jaxson Dart.

The Browns, Saints, Steelers, Jets and Raiders are among the teams thought to be in consideration for Sanders because of their quarterback situations.

Cleveland has the first and fourth picks of the second round. The Browns added Kenny Pickett in a trade and signed 2023 AP Comeback Player of the Year Joe Flacco.

New Orleans has Derek Carr, whose shoulder injury has created uncertainty.

Pittsburgh seems to be the best fit. The Steelers are waiting on Aaron Rodgers and coach Mike Tomlin praised Sanders before the draft.

The Jets signed Justin Fields and the Raiders traded for Geno Smith. Sanders’ relationship with Tom Brady still makes Las Vegas an option.

Deion Sanders, who coached his son in college, seemed to address the draft snub in a post on X.

He wrote: “My bible says God uses the foolish things to confound the wise & he chose the weak things of the world that he may put to shame the strong! Please know God ain’t done & God is just really getting started. Enjoy this lesson & stop stressing.”

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AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl