It was a long night for Shedeur Sanders.
At one point, Shedeur Sanders was projected to be a top-3 selection in the 2025 NFL Draft. However, as pre-draft festivities took place — including the combine, workouts, and interviews — there were inklings that Sanders might not be quite as high on the draft board for many NFL organizations as analysts had originally thought.
While Cam Ward soared to that No. 1 overall spot, Sanders seemingly fell with some NFL Draft experts sharing that they believed he could fall out of the first-round altogether and that he might not even be the second quarterback taken in the Draft.
Then, the waiting began.
There were reports that Shedeur Sanders could potentially be taken at No. 21 by the Pittsburgh Steelers, but then the Steelers elected to go defense and they drafted Oregon DT Derrick Harmon, essentially cementing that Shedeur would likely fall out of the first-round. Then, the folks at ESPN College GameDay began talking.
After it became a realization that Sanders might land out of the first-round, Nick Saban chimed in to share that some of the discussions surrounding the Colorado quarterback simply weren't based in reality to begin with. Instead, he said that many created lofty expectations for him that weren't achievable.
"We created this expectation for this guy that he is going to get picked," Saban said. "That's just an expectation, not reality. Shedeur is going to get picked and he's going to have a great career. I wish we'd just stop talking about it."
Saban made sure to share that he believes that Shedeur will go on to have a great career and that sliding might be the best thing for him.
"I think a lot of failings come at quarterback when guys play before they're ready. You need time to develop," Saban added.
Saban's point is valid. First, it was unfair regarding the fanfare that surrounded Shedeur. Secondly, he still has a chance to have a solid career. However, that's going to take a little more waiting.