Two Ducks taken while NFL execs shun Sanders sideshow

Shedeur Sanders remains undrafted after Round 1, and few outside the Colorado bubble are shocked.

The flamboyant Colorado quarterback plummeted out of the first round after disastrous predraft interviews and overconfident approach to the combine, pro day and interacting with scouts, GMs and coaches.

It turns out with a multimillion-dollar investment on the line in a high-pressure, high-profile industry, the decision makers want to be sure the candidate they choose fits in the organization and cooperates with coaches and teammates. They want professionalism, accountability, and pocket awareness.

An anonymous NFL coach called him "the worst formal interview I've ever been in my life."

Aaron Rodgers dropped in the draft for similar reasons. Confidence is great, but you have to be able to work with people. And, a quarterback has to have timing and pocket sense. Sanders was sacked 42 times in 2024, the most in the FBS.

Meanwhile the Ducks sent two players to the first round who applied themselves and improved in every phase of their game over their three seasons in college. Josh Conerly didn't allow a sack in his junior year. Derrick Harmon developed into one of the most disruptive tackles in college football with 55 pressures, the most among interior linemen in the FBS.

It turns out the Ducks are rooted in substance. The Buffalo guy is still playing for clicks, while they're playing for first-round cash.

A survey of "X" interactions picks those two most recent Oregon first-rounders as two of the most reliable draft selections of last night's first round, while Sanders is regarded as the most likely to be a bust.

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