Sportsnaut
Leading up to the 2025 NFL Draft, there was some chatter that suggested Shedeur Sanders could become a first-round pick. Once the first day came and went without Shedeur hearing his name called, many believed he’d simply be a top pick near the start of Day 2.
Yet, Sanders had to wait all the way until the fifth round before the Cleveland Browns traded up to make him the 144th overall pick. Each team had more than one chance to select the former Colorado quarterback, but only the Browns were actually willing to take a chance on the 23-year-old quarterback.
However, according to now-fired former Las Vegas Raiders head coach Antonio Pierce, his old organization was all-in on Deion Sanders’ son.
“When I was with the Raiders, he was one of our top choices,” Pierce said. “If I would’ve stayed there, there’s no way he goes in the fifth round, I’m making that choice and the decision that we’re drafting him. (Owner) Mark Davis was on board with that, our organization was on board, we believed in what we saw with Shedeur and saw enough.”
Antonio Pierce and the Raiders were all in on Shedeur Sanders pic.twitter.com/Z8xz1F0p7R
— NFL on CBS 🏈 (@NFLonCBS) November 23, 2025
That’s a pretty bold claim, seemingly suggesting that the Raiders were possibly ready to select Sanders with the sixth overall pick, where they chose running back Ashton Jeanty instead. The Raiders surely wouldn’t have been able to land Jeanty with their next selection, so despite his rough rookie season, they likely made the right decision there.
Still, it is a bit odd that the Raiders didn’t circle back around to choosing Sanders later on. Perhaps Tom Brady played a role in that decision-making process.
The Raiders did end up selecting quarterbacks Tommy Mellott and Cam Miller in the sixth round. But only Miller remains with the organization on the practice squad, and Mellott got switched to a receiver and is not with any NFL organization.
Related: 2025 NFL QB Rankings: Maye and Stafford’s Dominance Set Tone
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