It’s all a character test

Dallas Cowboys legend Dez Bryant sent a positive message to Shedeur Sanders after he wasn’t selected in the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft.

Entering the college season, Sanders was in the running to be the first pick. Yet, he ended up not going in the first round and is one of the best available players remaining in the draft.

After Sanders wasn’t picked in the first round, Bryant took to X to share some positive messages to the Colorado Buffaloes quarterback.

“It’s all a character test Shedeur Sanders, this moment is either going to make you or break you. How you choose to move forward will determine how great you are,” Bryant wrote.

It’s a nice message from Bryant as sliding down the draft isn’t easy, especially when Sanders had hopes of being a first-round pick.

Sanders helped turn around the Colorado Buffaloes’ last season as he led them to a bowl game. He went 353-for-477 for 4,134 yards, 37 touchdowns and 10 interceptions last season.

Bryant, meanwhile, was in the NFL from 2010 until 2020 and was a star receiver for the Cowboys from 2010 until 2017. He was a three-time Pro Bowler.

Shedeur Sanders opens up on not being selected in the first round

Shedeur Sanders says not being picked in the first round has added fuel to the fire.

After not being picked, Sanders spoke to his draft party and said this wasn’t what he expected. However, he says this adds fuel to the fire as he has a chip on his shoulder.

“We all didn’t expect this, of course,” Sanders said, via NBC Sports. “But I feel like with God, anything’s possible. Everything’s possible. I don’t feel like this happened, you know, for no reason. All this is is of course fuel to the fire. Under no circumstances we all know this shouldn’t have happened. But we understand, we’re onto bigger and better things. Tomorrow’s the day. We’re gonna be happy regardless.”

After not being picked, ESPN lists Sanders as the ninth-best player available heading into Round 2. The second and third rounds of the 2025 NFL Draft will take place on Friday, April 25.

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Cole is an NHL, NFL and College Sports reporter at Sportskeeda with over 7 years of experience writing for publications like CBC, USA Today, SMG, BJPENN, Sherdog and SB Nation.

An NHL fan his whole life, Cole played rep hockey in Canada from age 5 until 17 and grew up rooting for Martin St. Louis and the Tampa Bay Lightning. His all-time favorite players are Vincent Lecavalier and Steven Stamkos, while Jon Cooper is his favorite coach of all time.

Cole attended Sheridan College and received his journalism degree in 2019. After decades of watching and reporting, he considers his knowledge of sports as his primary strength. He ensures that the same story has been reported by at least two reputed reporters before creating it.

Cole enjoys playing golf and spending time with friends and family when not reporting breaking stories. His favorite sports moment is from the 2010 Olympics, when Sidney Crosby scored the golden goal in overtime to beat Team USA for the gold medal.

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Edited by Cole Shelton