There is a growing consensus that Shedeur Sanders made one big mistake during the pre-draft process that did him no favors.
Multiple reports have indicated that Sanders did very poorly during his pre-draft interviews with multiple teams, and that was a major factor in his fall to the fifth round of the NFL Draft. In the latest episode of the “Scoop City” podcast, Dianna Russini of The Athletic said one NFL executive had told her that Sanders’ biggest mistake was deciding not to hire an agent after coming out of Colorado. The executive suggested that an agent might have better prepared Sanders for those pre-draft interviews and prevented the quarterback from treating them like a “recruiting trip.”
From the conversations I've had coming out of draft weekend, league sources tell me that they believe Shedeur Sanders' tumble would have played out differently if he had an agent.
— Dianna Russini (@DMRussini) April 29, 2025
He would have been better prepared for the pre-draft process ⤵️ pic.twitter.com/ZWIauPMcoG
Sanders did not hire a certified agent after coming out of Colorado, choosing instead to represent himself. There was a strong perception that his father Deion essentially served as his informal advisor, and Sanders might not have been helped by some of his dad’s old quotes about the draft process.
Most talent evaluators did not view Sanders as possessing an elite skillset for a quarterback prospect. That meant intangibles mattered, and he clearly did not impress in that regard. One report detailed just how badly some of his pre-draft interviews went, underscoring how teams came away with the impression that Sanders did not take them seriously. Another report claimed that some teams were so disillusioned with Sanders that they removed him from their draft boards entirely.
One of the jobs of an agent is to ensure that their client is prepared for things like interviews and pre-draft meetings. Perhaps Sanders thought that was unnecessary given his famous father’s NFL ties, but it certainly sounds like that sort of preparation would have ultimately benefitted him.
