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The first round of the 2025 NFL Draft is complete, and Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders remains on the board. Sanders was one of the most hotly debated prospects in the class, and his slide out of the first round has only added fuel to that fire.

Sanders is coming off a season in which he threw for 4,134 yards, 37 touchdowns and 10 interceptions while finishing eighth in Heisman Trophy voting. At one point, it looked like Sanders could be the first player off the board in the 2025 draft, but he began to slip as the evaluation process progressed.

That culminated in Sanders dropping out of the first round entirely on Thursday night. Sanders had a draft room set up in his family's Texas home for the occasion, but he still doesn't have an NFL home yet.

Just two quarterbacks were selected in the opening round with Miami's Cam Ward going No. 1 overall and Jaxson Dart going to the New York Giants at No. 25 overall. Once the Giants announced Dart as their pick, it became clear that Sanders would likely fall into the second round.

As the night went on and Sanders waited to hear his name called, media and former NFL players shared their reaction on social media. Some shared words of encouragement for Sanders while others tried to explain the slide.

Former NFL players offer support for Shedeur

Robert Griffin III and Dez Bryant, two former first-round picks, offered up some words of support for Sanders. Griffin said Sanders has gotten unfairly maligned, and Bryant told the Colorado quarterback to use this as motivation at the next level.

Former Texas and Philadelphia Eagles defensive back Emmanuel Acho said he's seen firsthand what it's like when a player has a prolonged wait at the draft.

Shedeur's brother weighs in

Shedeur's brother, Deion Sanders Jr., posted a very brief but pointed message on social media.

NFL media reacts to Sanders' slide

When market opened for the projected first overall pick in the NFL Draft, Sanders was the favorite at +300. Even coming into tonight, many expected he would be a first-round selection, but that wasn't the case. That dip also cost Sanders millions and millions of dollars on his rookie contract.

Sanders is hardly the first quarterback who was forced to wait longer than expected to hear his name called. Aaron Rodgers endured a lengthy drop, and the same thing happened to Lamar Jackson. It's quite possible Sanders becomes the steal of the draft and comes back to haunt every GM who passed on him.

Throughout the draft process, there were rumblings that some teams weren't quite as high on Sanders as many thought. That proved to be true on Thursday night when no team was willing to use a first-round pick on him.