Top 10 Most Surprising NFL Draft Slides of All Time
The 2025 NFL Draft has officially ended. With that, the next generation of NFL players is here.
The draft is an interesting event. It can make or break certain franchises. Some players boom, and other players are total busts. It's all a big gamble.
Every once in a while, though, there's a case of a player's draft stock falling so significantly that it shocks fans and analysts alike. Today, we discuss some of the biggest and most surprising draft day slides.
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Shedeur Sanders (2025)
The quarterback prospect, who was often projected as an early pick, ultimately fell to the fifth round of the 2025 NFL Draft, being selected 151st overall. This significant slide was attributed by analysts to differing team perceptions of his talent, his approach to the pre-draft process, and concerns about the "baggage" associated with his celebrity family status and media attention.
Shedeur Sanders is a bit of a unique and unprecedented case. He was projected to be a first-round pick originally. Many people thought he'd be a late first-round selection to a second-round pick at most. He had plenty of hype around him. Whether or not it is justified remains in the eyes of the beholder.
Despite all the memes about him, I don't think many people thought he would fall all the way to pick 144. To be fair, though, he didn't exactly win much of anything at Colorado with a 13-12 record. He was also kind of carried by Heisman winner Travis Hunter. The school officially retired his number anyway, which of course only adds to the memes surrounding this guy.
There's also his massive ego, including his father Deion's arrogant personality, which turned some NFL teams away. Once he fell out of round 1, I think a lot of teams just thought he wasn't worth the drama he brings for being backup quarterback material. Even the Browns selected him when they had already drafted another rookie quarterback, Dillon Gabriel, at pick 94.
At this point, who knows how his young NFL career turns out. Cleveland is either the best or worst place he could have gone to.
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Aaron Rodgers (2005)
Despite being considered a potential number one overall selection, the highly regarded quarterback prospect was not taken until the 24th pick by the Green Bay Packers. The San Francisco 49ers, who held the first pick, chose quarterback Alex Smith instead, and multiple subsequent teams with other positional needs passed on Rodgers as he remained available.
Arguably the most shocking draft night fall has to be Aaron Rodgers. Imagine if he would've been on the 49ers. Almost everyone expected that he would be selected by the 49ers, who had the first overall pick. He was a local prospect from Cal, after all. It made sense.
However, the NFL world was shocked when Alex Smith was picked instead. The rest of the night, the broadcast team was focused on Rodgers waiting in the green room to hear his name called. He would fall all the way to 24th overall before the Green Bay Packers selected him.
After waiting behind Brett Favre, Aaron Rodgers finally got his chance and would win a Super Bowl for the cheeseheads and have a successful career in Green Bay. Still curious to think how things would have turned out had he been selected by San Francisco.
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Laremy Tunsil (2016)
Considered the top offensive tackle prospect in his class, his draft stock plummeted instantly when a video showing him smoking from a gas mask bong was posted to his verified Twitter account minutes before the draft began. The highly anticipated player, initially projected to be a top-five pick, finally went to the Miami Dolphins at the 13th overall selection.
Probably the most bizarre draft day fall of all time belongs to Laremy Tunsil. He fell from a potential top 5 pick to #13 overall, which doesn't seem like a very far fall but is still worth noting.
There was a video that surfaced on his social media accounts of him smoking marijuana with a gas mask minutes before the first round started, which scared a few teams away, including the Ravens, who opted for Ronnie Stanley, and the Titans, who selected Jack Conklin. Ultimately, it was the Dolphins who drafted him.
While not a major fall, the concerns over the video were real. Thankfully, the concerns were overblown. Things could've gone very differently had that video not surfaced on social media. He might have been drafted a lot sooner. Laremy Tunsil's case is a cautionary tale that what happens on social media matters more than you think it does.
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Dan Marino (1983)
Concerns over a less than stellar senior season at Pittsburgh and unsubstantiated rumors regarding alleged recreational drug use contributed to his drop in the draft. He was the last of six quarterbacks taken in the legendary 1983 quarterback class, finally being selected by the Miami Dolphins with the 27th pick.
Dan Marino's draft slide is interesting. Coming out of college, he had high expectations of being one of the top draft picks. However, a weak senior season at Pitt kind of tanked his stock. It also didn't help matters that a rumor had circulated at the time about Dan Marino being a recreational drug user.
Both of these factors combined to cause his draft stock to plummet nearly out of the first round entirely. He fell until the Miami Dolphins selected him at 27th overall. He apparently hadn't even met with Don Shula or the Dolphins at all because they felt there was no chance he would be available.
I think it's safe to say things worked out well for him. He would obviously go on to have a legendary career.
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Malik Willis (2022)
The Liberty quarterback, who some analysts projected could be taken in the first round as a high upside developmental prospect, ultimately slid all the way into the third round. His fall was largely due to concerns from NFL evaluators regarding his inconsistent processing speed, issues with indecisiveness, and struggles operating an NFL style offense.
Malik Willis is a recent example of a significant draft fall. He's the most recent big slide prior to Shedeur in 2025. Malik Willis was regarded highly by many scouts, and analysts thought he'd be a first-round pick. Some mock drafts had him going #2 overall.
He not only didn't go in the first round, he fell into the late 3rd round to the Tennessee Titans, who eventually selected him. Willis is a case of a guy who was largely overrated by the media throughout the draft process. Turns out NFL General Managers weren't that high on him.
There were concerns about the simplistic style of offense he played at Liberty. Teams thought he'd take a while to develop at the NFL level and that he'd be a backup quarterback. As a Titan, he looked really underdeveloped with a lot of raw talent in the few times we saw him play. He was better as a Packer but still backup material at this point.
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Randy Moss (1998)
Despite his exceptional talent and jaw dropping workout numbers, the wide receiver fell to the 21st overall selection in the first round. Numerous teams avoided selecting the elite prospect due to well documented legal troubles and character concerns that began during his college career.
You'd think one of the top wide receivers of all time would have been a top 5 pick in the draft. He arguably was one of the top draft prospects at the time.
His fall largely stems from a checkered legal record. He was charged with battery for his involvement in a fight and was rejected by Notre Dame. He spent 30 days in jail, and a positive marijuana test led to him being dismissed from Florida State. It also sent him back to prison as a probation violation. Safe to say that he had more than a few red flags.
It wasn't until his stint at Marshall where he turned things around. The Vikings would roll the dice and select him in the draft. I think things turned out pretty well for them in that regard.
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Brady Quinn (2007)
The decorated Notre Dame quarterback, who was widely projected to be a top 10 pick, endured an awkward wait in the draft's green room as he dropped down the board. He was eventually selected 22nd overall by the Cleveland Browns, who traded back into the first round to secure the Ohio native after passing on him earlier at pick number three.
Brady Quinn is an odd case. He had an outstanding career at Notre Dame, and many believed he would be a top 3 pick in the draft. He had no injury or character concerns.
Many analysts thought he would go either #3 to Cleveland or #9 to Miami. The Browns selected Joe Thomas instead. He would have a legendary career. Miami went with Ted Ginn at 9. The Browns would select Quinn after all by trading up with Dallas to take him at #22 overall.
Quinn never panned out in the NFL. He became a mediocre journeyman, bouncing from team to team, and retired in 2014.
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La’el Collins (2015)
The LSU offensive tackle, who was slated to be a first-round selection, went completely undrafted after his name was linked to a police investigation concerning a homicide in his hometown just days before the draft. Although he was later cleared of any wrongdoing by the police, the uncertainty and lack of time for teams to gather information caused all 32 franchises to pass on him.
The case of La'el Collins was truly one of the most bizarre and insane stories ever. He was arguably a first-round talent, but a tumultuous course of events in the days leading up to the draft completely tanked his draft stock to the point where he went completely undrafted due to the fact that there was next to no time for him to clear things up before the draft took place.
He was being questioned in a murder investigation, which caused teams to stay clear of him. It's important to note that he was not named a suspect. Coincidentally, it doesn't help matters any that Aaron Hernandez was convicted of first-degree murder just two weeks prior, and it was still fresh in everyone's minds at the time.
Eventually, his name was cleared, and he would sign with the Cowboys. He's been generally alright in the NFL. Not elite, but certainly passable.
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Warren Sapp (1995)
The University of Miami defensive tackle was projected by many to be a top five selection but unexpectedly dropped outside of the top ten on draft day. His fall to the 12th pick was reportedly due to allegations that surfaced right before the draft regarding failed drug tests and questionable character issues.
Warren Sapp was expected to go very early in the 1995 draft. However, at the last minute, there were reports that he had failed several drug tests at the University of Miami. This caused his draft stock to tank slightly. He would go 12th overall to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
He denied the allegations, and even the NFL released a statement saying that they also denied the legitimacy of the allegations. Some believe an anonymous individual intentionally tried to sabotage his draft stock.
Regardless if that's true or not, Sapp would go on to become a stalwart for the Bucs defense, winning their first Super Bowl in franchise history and becoming a Hall of Famer.
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Geno Smith (2013)
Expected to be the first quarterback selected, the West Virginia signal-caller surprisingly saw all 32 picks of the first round pass without his name being called, which was a significant blow to his draft stock. Reports from league executives later suggested his draft slide was influenced by worries about his attitude, work ethic, and overall presence as a potential leader in the locker room.
The 2013 draft class was notoriously weak, especially for quarterbacks. Geno Smith was largely considered the best of the bunch and the only surefire first-round pick. However, through the first round of the draft, EJ Manuel was the only quarterback off the board.
Most analysts projected Geno to go in the first round, yet he lingered, still waiting until pick 39, which came off as a surprise considering his pre-draft hype. He never had any injury or character issues, so to speak. Teams just weren't as high on him as the media was expecting.
At first, he was very mediocre at best. A low-end starter, and some called him a bust. It wasn't until his stint with the Seahawks that he managed to turn things around.
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Mitch Trubisky (2017)
The North Carolina quarterback did not actually experience a slide, as the Chicago Bears traded up to select him with the second overall pick, which was higher than many pre-draft rankings suggested for him. However, his placement on this list is based on the subsequent critical consensus that he was over drafted compared to later picked contemporaries like Patrick Mahomes and Deshaun Watson, who became superstar NFL quarterbacks.
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Maurice Hurst Jr. (2018)
The defensive tackle's draft status took a major hit when a potential heart condition, specifically an irregular heartbeat, was discovered during the NFL Scouting Combine. Despite being medically cleared to play and being considered a potential second-round talent, the health concern caused him to slide all the way to the fifth round, where the Oakland Raiders selected him with the 140th pick.