The 2025 NFL Draft delivered plenty of surprises, but one story-line overshadowed the entire event.
Entering proceedings, many expected now Cleveland Browns quarterback Shedeur Sanders to be a first-round pick.
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Entering the 2025 draft, Shedeur Sanders was expected to be the second quarterback drafted behind Cam WardCredit: Getty
In fact, some even labeled the son of Hall-of-Famer Deion Sanders as the No.1 pick, before that eventually went to Tennessee Titans hurler Cam Ward.
Sanders did not come off the board until the Browns traded up to select him at No. 144 in the fifth round, and his reaction said it all.
It was one of the most dramatic draft slides in recent draft memory, and the effect of it was felt around the league.
According to Pittsburgh Steelers QB Will Howard, who recently spoke on The Christian Kuntz Podcast, what happened to Sanders lead to a freeze on that year’s quarterback market and is one of the reasons his name wasn’t called earlier.
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“I thought there was a chance that I was going to go on Friday,” Howard said.
“I was hearing that. I remember talking with some guys from the Steelers, and it was really that whole Shedeur situation that his sliding really hurt a lot of the other quarterbacks in our class.
“Just because he was ranked a little bit higher, so nobody wanted to take guys like me, or Riley Leonard, or Kyle McCord, or Quinn Ewers.
“We were all like, late, late picks.”
Five quarterbacks, including Ward and Browns backup Dillon Gabirel, were selected in the first two days of the draft, but after that, it stalled.
Once Sanders came off the board, the logjam broke. Howard, Leonard and Kyle McCord were all selected within the same 10 picks in the sixth round.
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Howard pointed to Sanders’ draft slide as the reason he, and a plethora of other quarterbacks, were drafted so lateCredit: Getty
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Once Sanders was drafted, three quarterbacks were taken within 10 picks in the sixth roundCredit: Getty
Sanders would end up starting seven games for Cleveland in his rookie season, going 3-4 and passing for 1,400 yards.
He is now looking to hold his position as the starting QB for the Browns, with a returning Deshaun Watson set to be his major competition.
As for Howard, pick No. 185 in the 2025 draft, who had led the Big Ten in completion percentage, passing yards, and touchdown passes during his final season in Ohio, he now find himself in a quarterback battle with the Steelers.
Pittsburgh continue to wait on Aaron Rodgers’ decision, while Drew Allar, who they drafted in 2026, is also in the team’s QB room.
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Howard is expected to battle for the Steelers starting role if Aaron Rodgers opts not to returnCredit: Getty
Both Rodgers (if he returns) and Allar, are considered locks to make the Steelers 2026 roster, leaving Howard and other QB Mason Rudolph battling it out for the other remaining spot.
However, if one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time doesn’t return, it is expected that Howard will take the starting job under new head coach Mike McCarthy.
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If granted the starting role, Howard will be hoping to regain some of his national championship-winning form, and help the Steelers break their playoff ‘curse’.
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