NFL Owners Meetings Intel Reveals Shedeur Sanders' 'Unlikely' NFL Draft Spot

While appearing on ESPN's "NFL Draft Countdown," analyst Adam Schefter said it's "increasingly unlikely" Sanders will go top three in the draft.

“Right now, Greeny (Mike Greenberg) — just under a month away from the NFL Draft — it sounds increasingly unlikely that Shedeur Sanders would wind up going two or three,” Schefer said. “That is where it would get interesting. The story of the draft then would become, where is Shedeur Sanders going to go?"

If Cleveland and New York pass on Sanders, both Hunter and Penn State EDGE Abdul Carter are likely candidates to land in the top three as early non-quarterback picks.

“Again, we’ll see if that turns out to be right,” Schefter said. “The Browns trade for Kenny Pickett, the Giants sign Russell Wilson and Jameis Winston, and with the blue-chip talents that are looking like they’ll be available here — Abdul Carter from Penn State, Travis Hunter from Colorado — right now, my sense, not a report, but my sense is it would be a non-quarterback at two, a non-quarterback at three. And then, we would be off and running on draft night, wondering and speculating about where Shedeur Sanders might go in this NFL Draft.”

However, Schefter made clear that the Browns and Giants are still plenty interested in Sanders.

“Now, I still think the Cleveland Browns are still talking about whether or not they would take Shedeur Sanders," Schefter said. "The New York Giants are still talking about whether or not they would take Shedeur Sanders. And it’s always possible that one of these organizations can have a change in philosophy and a shift in their thinking, and come around to Shedeur. But the way that I’m reading it right now is that he doesn’t figure to be either team’s pick right now through the tea leaves.”

The New England Patriots (No. 4 pick), Jacksonville Jaguars (No. 5), Las Vegas Raiders (No. 6) and New York Jets (No. 7) follow in the NFL draft order. All four have an in-house candidate to start at quarterback next season, meaning Sanders could see a decent slide. Or, Sanders could theoretically compete with Las Vegas quarterback Geno Smith or Jets quarterback Justin Fields for a starting job in 2025.