For now, the 2025 NFL Draft will likely be remembered best for one thing: The slide of Colorado quarterback, Shedeur Sanders.

The son of the Hall of Fame cornerback, Deion; who coached him at Colorado in 2023 and 2024; Shedeur’s drop into day two, and subsequently day three became headline news around the NFL – and indeed the country, with even the President chiming in on the situation.

Eventually, the Cleveland Browns halted his slide, moving up in the fifth round to select the younger Sanders with the #144 overall pick.

And, like others who have already spoken on the issue, the Kelce brothers had some strong words to say about the portrayal of Sanders in the media, per their podcast, “New Heights”.

Kelce Brothers Speak On Shedeur Sanders Draft Situation

Travis Kelce was effusive in his praise for the Browns selection, saying to his brother, “I love this for Cleveland, I really do man.”

Subsequently, when Travis’ brother and co-host, Jason, mentions that there were “anonymous reports prior to the draft that his team interviews went poorly”, the Kansas City Chief had a fiery reaction.

“I think whoever’s the…anonymous person that is… saying this should…come out and say who they were”, Travis retorted.

“I’m not sure why he dropped, whether it was the interviews or whether it was stuff that they saw on film. What I saw on film, I thought he was a way higher pick – and I think that’s all that should matter. I feel like this is going to be such a fresh start for him – I can see him working [very hard]… and becoming the starting quarterback in Cleveland at some point for sure.”

Travis Kelce Dishes Support For Shedeur Sanders On Podcast

As the pair mentioned earlier on the same episode of the podcast, Travis Kelce had some “character” concerns coming into the NFL, which was part of the reason the future Hall of Fame tight end slid to the first pick in the third round, where the Kansas City Chiefs took him with the 63rd overall pick in 2013 (there were two forfeited second picks that year).

So it is not a complete shock that Kelce is quick to a defend another player who slid for reasons beyond what his tape portrayed.

Although Sanders’s work in college divided general managers and evaluators, with some believing that he was a starter in the league, and others seeing him only as a backup, almost all agreed that he slid in the draft due to what was certainly a heavy-handed pre-draft process.

Sanders had some good meetings, but at others general managers believe he came across as entitled, treating draft interviews as recruiting trips – rather than having the wherewithal to realize the converse is true.

And the Chiefs tight end is correct; almost all of the names associated with giving negative feedback on Sanders were in fact anonymous. But if fans are to find out about executives’ true feelings on players, anonymity is a vital tool for protecting both individuals, and franchises’ future plans.

Yet this may well turn into a blessing, as the Browns are quite possibly the only franchise whose hectic quarterback situation could result in Shedeur being named the starter as early as this September.