NFL Draft viewership hit 7.3 million as Shedeur Sanders kept fans glued to their screens

Move over Caleb Williams, this year’s NFL Draft had a totally different main character, and he didn’t even hear his name called until Round 5. Shedeur Sanders , the Colorado QB and son of Coach Prime himself, was supposed to be a top prospect. But as the rounds ticked by and his name stayed off the board, something wild happened: America couldn’t stop watching. The result? A massive ratings spike that proves Shedeur didn’t just dominate headlines, he owned the screen.

Shedeur Sanders’ draft day slide turned into a full-blown national drama: Day 2 and Day 3 viewership skyrocketed because fans couldn’t look away

Let’s rewind. Coming into the draft, Shedeur Sanders had the kind of hype that screams Round 1 pick. He played under the spotlight, he brought in numbers, and he had that Deion Sanders swagger. But shockingly, team after team passed on him. By Day 2, it wasn’t just a draft anymore, it was a mystery. Viewers tuned in not to see who’d go first, but to see when Shedeur would finally get picked.



With every new pick that wasn’t him, the suspense only grew. Was it his playstyle? His father’s presence? A behind-the-scenes issue no one knew about? Whatever the reason, it created a draft day plot twist no one could look away from.



Here’s the wild part. According to Sports Business Journal and Sports Media Watch, Days 2 and 3 of the 2025 NFL Draft averaged a stunning 7.3 million viewers across ESPN2, NFL Network, and ABC. That’s a 40% spike from last year’s viewership. We’re talking about the second-highest Day 2 ratings in NFL Draft history; only the 2020 lockdown draft pulled in more.



And no offense to the other prospects, but let’s be real, most of that attention was riding on Shedeur. He wasn’t just a player on the board; he was the story.

Eventually, Shedeur Sanders was scooped up by the Cleveland Browns with the 144th overall pick. It was a long wait for a guy who was once projected to go in the first two rounds, but by that point, his slide had become the defining moment of the draft.




In the end, it wasn’t the first-rounders or flashy trades that stole the show, it was the guy who didn’t go early. Shedeur Sanders’ draft drama had millions glued to their screens, waiting to see what would happen next.


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