The most shocking development of the NFL Draft through the first three rounds has been the absence of Colorado Buffaloes star quarterback Shedeur Sanders from the board. Just a month ago, Sanders was projected as a potential top-five pick — and widely considered the No. 2 quarterback in the class behind Cam Ward.
Yet, as five quarterbacks have already been selected, Sanders remains undrafted heading into Round 4, which kicks off Saturday at noon. Now, his eventual landing spot is a complete mystery.
One team that was heavily linked to Sanders throughout the draft process was the Las Vegas Raiders. While they still have a chance to pick him on Day 3, they've already passed on him multiple times — raising eyebrows considering their current quarterback room consists of Geno Smith, Aidan O'Connell, and Carter Bradley.
Adding to the intrigue is the fact that Raiders minority owner Tom Brady has a personal connection with Sanders. The two trained together back in 2020, and following Colorado’s upset win over TCU in Sanders' first game as a Buffalo, Brady texted him a simple but powerful message: "Don’t be satisfied."
Yet, three rounds into the draft, Brady and the Raiders have passed on Sanders, as the Colorado star — and son of Deion Sanders — endures one of the most shocking draft slides in recent memory, sparking growing backlash toward Brady.
"It is now pretty clear Tom Brady - who mentored Shedeur - told the Raiders NOT to take Shedeur. Duly noted," Skip Bayless posted.
He later added, "HOW COULD TOM BRADY'S TEAM PASS ON SHEDEUR AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN??? BRADY REPORTEDLY COACHED SHEDEUR. BRADY REPORTEDLY WAS INVOLVED IN RAIDERS DRAFT DECISION-MAKING."
Other NFL fans reacted to Raiders continuously passing on Sanders through the first three rounds:
"Either owners orders or no one wants that kind of superstar to take over their franchise," A fan said.
"Tom Brady is a minority owner of the Raiders. He has a personal relationship with with Shedeur Sanders. He just passed on him AGAIN," Another fan posted.
"Tom Brady mentored a QB and passed on that QB 5 times already," someone else added.
One more fan commented, "Wasn’t Tom Brady Shedeur Sanders’s mentor????? You telling me his big homie even passing on him?!!!?"
At the NFL combine, Sanders spoke glowingly about his relationship with Brady, calling him a mentor and a lasting influence.
“He took me in his truck to this high school field,” Sanders recalled. “From then on, he was just telling me knowledge. I filmed everything, recorded everything — so now, sometimes I go back and listen to the things he said. And it registers. Everything he said back then applies now. That’s why I’m thankful for him.”
