MW Here's how much money Shedeur Sanders lost out on by falling to the fifth round of the NFL draft

By Weston Blasi

Sanders was once projected to go as high as No. 1 overall, with No. 3 overall to the New York Giants seemingly as low as he could go

College football player Shedeur Sanders, son of NFL legend Deion Sanders -was once projected to go as high as No. 1 overall in this week's NFL draft. In a surprise during the first round on Thursday, he wasn't selected. In an even bigger surprise, he wasn't selected until the fifth round - as the 144th player taken.

As a result, he lost out on over $40 million in salary. In the NFL, salaries for the first four seasons are predetermined based on when a player is drafted. The No. 1 pick in this year's draft, quarterback Cam Ward, will earn $48.8 million over four years, with a salary of $8.9 million in his first season. Sanders will make $4.6 million over his first four years, and $952,000 in his first season.

Sanders was once projected to go as high as No. 1 overall, with No. 3 overall to the New York Giants seemingly as low as he could go. But as the draft grew closer, the momentum for Sanders to be selected among the first few picks stalled out.

Instead, Miami quarterback Cam Ward went No. 1 to the Tennessee Titans, and Sanders' college teammate, Heisman Trophy-winner Travis Hunter, went No. 2 to the Jacksonville Jaguars.

A similar draft-day collapse happened in 2023 with Kentucky quarterback Will Levis. He was projected to be the second overall pick, which would have guaranteed him a four-year rookie contract worth $36.2 million, but Levis unexpectedly wasn't picked until the second round (33rd overall), where his contract was valued at $9.5 million - a $26.7 million drop in total wages.

This year's first-round draft picks will receive a four-year contract with a team option for a fifth year, as well as a signing bonus. The guaranteed base salary and signing bonus are fully guaranteed, while other elements of the contract, like roster bonuses, are not.

Here are the estimated contracts and signing bonuses for the first round selections from the 2025 NFL draft, according to contract monitoring site Spotrac:

Pick 1 - Cam Ward, QBTotal Value: $48,757,500 | Year 1 Salary: $8,865,000

Pick 2 - Travis Hunter, CBTotal Value: $46,571,074 | Year 1 Salary: $8,467,468

Pick 3 - Abdul Carter, EDGETotal Value: $45,179,746 | Year 1 Salary: $8,214,499

Pick 4 - Will Campbell, OTTotal Value: $43,589,604 | Year 1 Salary: $7,925,382

Pick 5 - Mason Graham, DTTotal Value: $40,806,872 | Year 1 Salary: $7,419,431

Pick 6 - Ashton Jeanty, RBTotal Value: $35,837,732 | Year 1 Salary: $6,515,951

Pick 7 - Armand Membou, OTTotal Value: $31,862,416 | Year 1 Salary: $5,793,166

Pick 8 - Tetairoa McMillan, WRTotal Value: $27,887,104 | Year 1 Salary: $5,070,382

Pick 9 - Kelvin Banks Jr., OTTotal Value: $27,688,114 | Year 1 Salary: $5,034,202

Pick 10 - Colston Loveland, TETotal Value: $26,595,118 | Year 1 Salary: $4,835,476

Pick 11 - Mykel Williams, EDGETotal Value: $24,905,620 | Year 1 Salary: $4,528,294

Pick 12 - Tyler Booker, OGTotal Value: $22,520,414 | Year 1 Salary: $4,094,621

Pick 13 - Kenneth Grant, DTTotal Value: $21,924,122 | Year 1 Salary: $3,986,204

Pick 14 - Tyler Warren, TETotal Value: $20,930,294 | Year 1 Salary: $3,805,508

Pick 15 - Jalon Walker, LBTotal Value: $20,532,790 | Year 1 Salary: $3,733,234

Pick 16 - Walter Nolen, DTTotal Value: $19,340,170 | Year 1 Salary: $3,516,394

Pick 17 - Shemar Stewart, EDGETotal Value: $18,942,634 | Year 1 Salary: $3,444,115

Pick 18 - Grey Zabel, OGTotal Value: $18,445,724 | Year 1 Salary: $3,353,768

Pick 19 - Emeka Egbuka, WRTotal Value: $18,147,572 | Year 1 Salary: $3,299,558

Pick 20 - Jahdae Barron, CBTotal Value: $18,048,198 | Year 1 Salary: $3,281,490

Pick 21 - Derrick Harmon, DTTotal Value: $17,948,806 | Year 1 Salary: $3,263,419

Pick 22 - Omarion Hampton, RBTotal Value: $17,750,036 | Year 1 Salary: $3,227,279

Pick 23 - Matthew Golden, WRTotal Value: $17,551,274 | Year 1 Salary: $3,191,141

Pick 24 - Donovan Jackson, OGTotal Value: $17,153,744 | Year 1 Salary: $3,118,862

Pick 25 - Jaxson Dart, QBTotal Value: $16,954,982 | Year 1 Salary: $3,082,724

Pick 26 - James Pearce Jr., EDGETotal Value: $16,756,186 | Year 1 Salary: $3,046,579

Pick 27 - Malaki Starks, STotal Value: $16,557,446 | Year 1 Salary: $3,010,445

Pick 28 - Tyleik Williams, DTTotal Value: $16,458,064 | Year 1 Salary: $2,992,375

Pick 29 - Josh Conerly Jr., OTTotal Value: $15,660,564 | Year 1 Salary: $2,847,375

Pick 30 - Maxwell Hairston, CBTotal Value: $15,238,238 | Year 1 Salary: $2,770,589

Pick 31 - Jihaad Campbell, LBTotal Value: $14,884,470 | Year 1 Salary: $2,706,267

Pick 32 - Josh Simmons, OTTotal Value: $14,656,682 | Year 1 Salary: $2,664,851

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And that's not the only financial wrinkle to the 2025 NFL draft.

This year's draft comes at an inflection point for college sports, and college football in particular. Due to the introduction of name, image and likeness (NIL) rules in college sports, athletes can now leverage their athletic prowess into big paydays, with the top players in revenue-generating sports like football getting more money.

Some top college football players are currently getting paid millions of dollars per year. University of Miami quarterback Carson Beck has an NIL value of $4.3 million, for example, and Ohio State wide receiver Jeremiah Smith has an NIL value of $4 million, according to database On3.

What's more, the NCAA passed a set of rules earlier this week that could upend decades of precedent in college sports. Proposals include revamping NIL rules, and setting up a revenue-sharing system that allows schools to divvy up $20.5 million for all athletes in all sports at a school.

And in a first-of-its-kind move this month, a college quarterback engaged in what was essentially an NIL contract holdout, something typically only done in professional sports leagues. Former University of Tennessee quarterback Nico Iamaleava skipped practice and later transferred over dissatisfaction with his NIL wages and team situation.

"It's important to understand college sports have morphed into a professional-style system, some operating like a minor league/farm system," Mitch Gilfillan, sports management attorney at Quinn Johnston, told MarketWatch. "To see a college athlete 'hold out' or refuse to play until an agreement is reached should come as no surprise to anyone who understands how professional sports operate and the current landscape of college sports.

"In 2025, players have significant power now, which is on full display in the public eye," Gilfillan added.

Rounds 2-3 of the 2025 NFL draft will be broadcast on NFL Network, ESPN and ABC $(DIS)$ beginning at 7 p.m. Eastern.

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-Weston Blasi

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April 26, 2025 17:20 ET (21:20 GMT)

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