Jan 5, 2025; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; New York Giants wide receiver Malik Nabers (1) walks off the field after a loss to the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-Imagn Images Eric Hartline-Imagn Images

New York Giants' Malik Nabers Sounds Off On Shedeur Sanders Falling In NFL Draft

Originally posted on Colorado Buffaloes on SI
By Jack Carlough | Last updated May 2, 2025 8:36 AM ET

New York Giants wide receiver Malik Nabers is one of several current NFL players who were left astounded by former Colorado Buffaloes quarterback Shedeur Sanders falling to the fifth round of the NFL Draft.

While Sanders ultimately went to the Cleveland Browns with the No. 144 overall pick, Nabers still can't wrap his head around the unexpected slide. Nabers' Giants, who picked Ole Miss' Jaxson Dart in the first round, and multiple other quarterback-needy teams passed on Sanders before the Browns ended the fall on Saturday.

Nabers, one of the most talented young wide receivers in the NFL, appeared on NBA great Carmelo Anthony's "7PM In Brooklyn" podcast to share his thoughts on the draft and other topics. When asked about Sanders, the former first-round pick out of LSU shared he was surprised about how things played out over the weekend.

"That's the next generation, and I kind of feel bad for how that happened to him because he (Sanders) really played his (expletive) off," Nabers said. "He took it from a different level. He went to Jackson State and then he did what he did at Jackson State, brought a lot of people to Jackson State that never knew about Jackson State, about football. And then he went to Colorado, where nobody was even looking at Colorado like that, and having all these people look at them play and do what he did, and then do him like that?"

Nabers also pointed to the fact that entering the draft, Sanders and former Miami Hurricanes star Cam Ward were considered the top two available quarterbacks. Ward went to the Tennessee Titans with the No. 1 overall pick while Sanders' name didn't leave the board until Day 3.

"This boy was (one of) the top two quarterbacks in his class," Nabers said. "There's no way in hell he go fifth round."

Now, Sanders is looking to regain the league's respect in a crowded Cleveland quarterback room that also includes veteran Joe Flacco, Kenny Pickett and third-round pick Dillon Gabriel, who was a Heisman finalist at Oregon last season. Sanders may have the greatest potential of those four, but he'll have to earn his keep this summer and during the Browns' preseason training camp.

Melo & Malik Nabers were HOT Shedeur Sanders slipped to the 5th round of the NFL Draft

Malik: "He was the talk of the top 2 QB's in his class. There's no way in hell he goes 5th round."

Melo: "This is an attack at Prime." pic.twitter.com/n01uj4F7YS
— 7PM in Brooklyn (@7PMinBrooklyn) May 1, 2025

Still, Nabers believes the NFL did Sanders wrong throughout the pre-draft evaluation process.

"You don't do that to somebody like that," Nabers said. "You can't knock his talent. I heard a lot of things about how he took unnecessary sacks. I mean, he had a bad O-line... You talk about his escaping the pocket. You can pull up plenty of clips of him escaping three to four tackles and throwing it down the field. Most of his receivers had seven to eight touchdowns. He played with Travis Hunter. He won the Biletnikoff (Award)."

Nabers added that although Sanders' personality may have rubbed some people the wrong way, it shouldn't impact how his on-field abilities are viewed.

This article first appeared on Colorado Buffaloes on SI and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: