Among the surprised is Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton, who spoke briefly about Sanders after Friday night's second- and third-round draft festivities.

Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton offered a word of warning Friday night to quarterback-needy teams who passed on Colorado's Shedeur Sanders over the first two days of the 2025 NFL draft. According to ESPN's Jeff Legwold, Payton praised Sanders and suggested that he could make teams regret their decisions, saying:

If the Broncos had needed a starting quarterback, Shedeur Sanders might have been staying in Colorado. There's a chance he'll still end up in Denver, based on the things Broncos coach Sean Payton had to say after Sanders made it through the first three rounds of the draft unselected.