Analyst defended Shedeur Sanders against 'trash' narratives before NFL Draft slide

Before Shedeur Sanders slid out of the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft, anonymous coaches and executives heavily criticized the Colorado quarterback's physical attributes and personality via conversations with reporters. 

Minutes before the Tennessee Titans made Miami signal-caller Cam Ward the first overall pick, Fox Sports analyst and Colorado alum Joel Klatt addressed the predraft takedowns of Sanders while speaking on NFL Network.

"Shedeur represents everything that I dislike about the NFL Draft, and it’s only one thing — and it’s narratives," Klatt explained, per Michael Dixon of Awful Announcing. "And it’s narratives built up that are lazy and quite frankly, trash. When you come out as an anonymous source about some meeting that you had — you don’t think that some kid measured up to what you wanted him to be when he walked in your room — I think that that’s trash. Shedeur Sanders is gonna be a good quarterback in the National Football League."

It was reported in early March that Sanders "hit the wrong notes" in interviews with some teams during the NFL Scouting Combine. More recently, a "longtime NFL assistant coach" said he felt Sanders was "so entitled" and was part of "the worst formal interview I've ever been in in my life." Additionally, a "longtime AFC executive" told NFL Media's Tom Pelissero that his team's interview with Sanders "didn't go great," in part because the polarizing prospect "wants to dictate what he's going to do" and "makes you feel small." 

Later, retired player and current NFL analyst Merril Hoge said he believes Sanders is "gonna be an epic failure" as a pro and could set an organization "back another two or three years." It's now clear that clubs agreed with these assessments. 

"I think that he’s gonna go and make some head coach and some fanbase very happy," Klatt said about Sanders. "...Everyone wants to have an opinion on this guy and, listen, I get it. Yeah, he holds the ball too long, and he drifts and all of those things. But I’ll tell you what. This narrative that built up about Shedeur over this process, that’s what I dislike about this draft."

According to ESPN's Stephen Holder, Sanders said after he remained on the board through the end of the draft's first round that the perceived snub "is of course fuel to the fire" and "shouldn't have happened." If nothing else, he now has at least 32 reasons to want to prove doubters wrong.