Chase Daniel broke down what really happened with Shedeur Sanders’ NFL draft slide and why it might have been his own doing.
Chase Daniel Unloads on Why Shedeur Sanders Had to Wait
Shedeur Sanders’ lead-up process wasn’t enough to convince teams to take him early on in last week’s 2025 NFL Draft. In fact, how he carried himself during that evaluation course might have turned some teams off, especially being that Sanders’ skillset doesn’t quite remedy the headaches he might bring.
Former NFL quarterback Chase Daniel gave his thoughts on why the now-former Colorado quarterback fell to the Cleveland Browns in the fifth round. Daniel believed that Sanders should have gone before some of the other signal-callers taken in front of him, including new teammate Dillon Gabriel.
“Those matter, like, regardless of how it may feel,” Daniel said Tuesday on The Athletic’s “Scoop City” podcast. “Like, ‘Oh, I’m interviewing with the Kansas City Chiefs, there’s no way they’re gonna draft me.’ Teams talk, and that’s just the fact of the matter. So, he had plenty of opportunities, in my opinion, to help himself out through the draft and the draft process. And pretty much at every single stop, Dianna, he dismissed them.”
Daniel enjoyed a 13-year career in the league, primarily as an understudy. He knows what it takes to stick around, both personality-wise and from a talent standpoint. If you’re not well-liked at the most important position on the team, you’re not doing yourself any favors.
“You cannot get one over on the NFL,” Daniel said. “The owners are in charge. … People hate this term, but I sort of like it. You have to kiss the ring a little bit. You gotta play the game a little bit. Well, Shedeur Sanders and his camp, they did not.”
Sanders didn’t attend the Senior Bowl. He refused to throw at the NFL Scouting Combine, too, denying decision-makers an extra look at him before deciding to invest a pick in him.
“With at least a few teams … they did not interview well,” Daniel said. “That’s not all uncommon, right? This stuff happens before, but when you’re viewed as more as a backup than a starter, the NFL talks, and the NFL says, ‘Hey, you know what? Alright. No one took him past the third round.’ I was flabbergasted.
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“And then I’m like, ‘Okay, well, who wants a celebrity quarterback that will bring a circus media storm as a backup quarterback?’ So, that’s what made the fall happen even more.”
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