Donald Trump has delivered his verdict on the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft and team owners have found themselves in the firing line.
The first round of the draft took place in Green Bay Thursday night where former Miami quarterback Cam Ward was taken No. 1 overall by the Tennessee Titans as expected.
However, one of the biggest shocks of the night came when Shedeur Sanders was left on the board after being snubbed in all 32 picks and ultimately plummeting out of the first round.
And the president, who made headlines despite not being at the draft, was left seething over the decision from the league’s franchises to overlook the former Colorado Buffaloes quarterback and son of NFL legend Deion Sanders.
‘What is wrong with NFL owners, are they STUPID?’ Trump wrote in his latest Truth Social rant. ‘Deion Sanders was a great college football player, and was even greater in the NFL. He’s also a very good coach, streetwise and smart!
‘Therefore, Shedeur, his quarterback son, has PHENOMENAL GENES, and is all set for Greatness. He should be “picked” IMMEDIATELY by a team that wants to WIN. Good luck Shedeur, and say hello to your wonderful father!’
Donald Trump has delivered his verdict on the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft
Shedeur Sanders was snubbed by multiple teams and ultimately fell out of the first round
Sanders had been tipped by some – including his father – to be a top-five pick but Cam Ward and Jaxson Dart were the only quarterbacks selected.
Ward was taken first overall by the Tennessee Titans, while the Giants – who had been strongly linked with Sanders – went for ex-Ole Miss QB Dart. The Pittsburgh Steelers also opted against the quarterback.
There had been speculation ahead of the draft that Sanders’ stock had tanked among certain teams.
His character in particular had been targeted following the combine, with the quarterback reportedly branded ‘brash’ and ‘arrogant’ following interviews.
Concerns about Sanders’ arm strength have become an issue in recent weeks, too, though his father – Hall of Famer Sanders – laughed off that notion.
In 50 collegiate games, Sanders threw for 14,347 yards, with 134 touchdowns and 27 interceptions. He completed 70.1 percent of his passes and ran for 17 more scores.
Sanders will have a second chance to be selected Friday night in the second and third rounds and if NFL owners obey Trump’s orders, he could go as high as 33rd or 37th with the Cleveland Browns or Tom Brady’s Las Vegas Raiders.
Earlier in the evening, Trump had found himself at the center of the draft when Green Bay Packers legend commandeered the stage to deliver a ‘message’ from the president.
Sanders’ father, Hall of Famer Deion Sanders, believes he warranted a top-five draft pick
Green Bay Packers legend Clay Matthews delivered a ‘message’ from Trump at the draft
The former linebacker, who joined NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell and Lil Wayne on stage to open the draft, stole the mic to use Trump as a weapon to take aim at his former team’s bitter rivals.
In bizarre scenes, Goodell rode a bicycle onto the draft stage and was followed by former Packers stars Matthews, Jordy Nelson, Mason Crosby, Ahman Green and James Jones, as well as rap megastar and Green Bay superfan Lil Wayne.
Goodell introduced the group of former players before turning the mic over to Matthews. A moment he likely immediately regretted.
Matthews then seized his moment, stepping up to the podium and declaring that he was about to go off script before making his announcement.
‘I just got off the phone with the President,’ he claimed to loud cheers from the crowd gathered in Green Bay.
‘He told me to pass a message along to all 32 NFL franchises,’ Matthews continued, pulling out a piece of paper from this pocket. ‘Let me tell you what it reads. It says, “My fellow Americans, the Bears still suck!”‘
The adoring Packers fans in attendance went wild over the brutal four-word dig aimed at their longtime bitter rivals.
Meanwhile, Sanders was not at Lambeau Field for the draft festivities, instead opting to watch the event from a special draft room at home in Texas with friends and family.
Sanders claimed his snub in the first round of the NFL Draft will act as ‘fuel to the fire’
Following the dramatic night, he claimed his snub in the opening round of the NFL Draft will act as ‘fuel to the fire.’
The 23-year-old spoke to his loved ones about his snub, admitting ‘we all didn’t expect this, of course’.
But Sanders tried to remain upbeat, insisting he would be ‘happy’ regardless of what happens in the upcoming rounds of the draft.
‘I feel like with God, anything is possible, everything is possible,’ he said. ‘I feel like this happened for no reason – all this is is of course fuel to the fire and under no circumstance we all know this shouldn’t happen.
‘But we understand we’re on to bigger and better things. Tomorrow is the day, we’re going to be happy regardless, legendary.’
