NFL News: Malik Nabers throws slight shade at Giants for not drafting Shedeur Sanders

During the 2025 NFL Draft, many teams were expected to select Shedeur Sanders early. However, the quarterback fell to the fifth round, and New York Giants star wide receiver Malik Nabers can’t believe it.

The Giants have struggled in recent years to find a reliable quarterback. During the 2025 NFL Draft, they were expected to select Shedeur Sanders, but the NFC East club opted to acquire Jaxson Dart instead.

Sanders was projected to be a first- or second-round pick, but he slid all the way to the fifth. Few believed such a dramatic drop could happen, and even Malik Nabers has thrown slight shade at the entire NFL, including the Giants, for passing on the former Buffaloes standout.

Malik Nabers gets brutally honest on NFL teams passing on Shedeur Sanders

According to scouts, Shedeur Sanders was the second-best quarterback in this year’s draft class. He had a remarkable tenure at Colorado and was widely expected to enter the NFL as a potential first-round pick.

Unfortunately for him, he wasn’t selected until the fifth round by the Browns, after five other quarterbacks were taken. Many fans and analysts remain baffled by the fall, and Malik Nabers has now joined them in questioning the league’s decision.

The Giants’ star wide receiver has openly shared his admiration for Shedeur Sanders. For that reason, he believes the quarterback is definitely not a fifth-round talent and expects his skills to prove it in the near future.

“You don’t do that to somebody like that. You can’t knock his talent. . . . Some things you just can’t knock,” Nabers said. “Come on, bro. We gotta stop making feelings with how people play that linger. Yeah, he might have some things he might say on camera, off the field, that don’t have to do with how he plays football. We’re here for one thing and that’s to play football. Everybody’s got different personalities.”

Rumors suggest the reason no club drafted Sanders earlier was because of his father, Deion Sanders. However, the quarterback has stated that he intends to forge his own path in the NFL and move past the speculation surrounding his father’s presence.

Will Shedeur Sanders start for the Browns in 2025?

The road to stardom won’t be easy for Shedeur Sanders. The quarterback enters the league as a fifth-round pick and joins a Browns team that currently has five players at the position.

As of now, the Browns are expected to start Joe Flacco for the 2025 NFL season. Sanders will have to compete with Deshaun Watson, Kenny Pickett, and Dillon Gabriel for a backup role before he can realistically aim for the starting job.