How Shedeur Sanders Sparked an Unbelievable NFL Draft Ratings Surge No One Saw Coming

You know, sometimes the most electrifying moments in sports don’t happen on the field — they unfold in the quiet hum of living rooms as fans watch the unexpected. Take Shedeur Sanders’ jaw-dropping tumble down the 2025 NFL Draft board. Originally pegged as a top-three pick, he slipped all the way to Round 5, leaving folks scratching their heads and, well, glued to their screens. It wasn’t just a draft day surprise; it sparked a massive 40% ratings spike for Roger Goodell’s NFL broadcasts, lighting up TV sets like a Friday night touchdown. Makes you wonder—does a star QB’s fall from grace actually fuel the drama that keeps us coming back? With all eyes on Cleveland now, the Browns might just rewrite their story if Shedeur thrives. After all, if there’s anything we’ve learned, it’s that sometimes the twists off the field make the real game unforgettable. LEARN MORE.

Shedeur Sanders‘ fall reportedly meant a ratings spike for Roger Goodell and the NFL‘s broadcast partners.

After the All-American QB was projected to go anywhere from top-three to top-20, Sanders fell all the way to Round 5 where the Cleveland Browns scooped him up after curiously selecting Oregon’s Dillon Gabriel in the third-round.

According to Jon Lewis of Sports Media Watch, Days 2 and 3 of the 2025 draft drew an average audience of 7.3 million across all platforms — marking a 40% increase over last year’s coverage.

Only the 2020 NFL Draft averaged more second and third night viewers (8.2 million), which makes sense considering the circumstances that occurred that year.

With Lewis noting: “Outside of 2020 — an outlier year in which the draft was among the only live sportscasts for weeks — no other day two telecast reached even the six million mark.”

“Draft viewership is impacted by many factors, but nothing moves the needle quite as much as a prominent QB going later than expected,” he added.

“Back in 2014, before the sweeteners of out-of-home viewing and a broadcast network simulcast, the first round of the Draft averaged 12.37 million viewers when Johnny Manziel went from an expected top ten pick to being selected late in the first round. Yet even the draft slides of Manziel and Aaron Rodgers before him did not spill into a second — much less third — day.”

There’s no question that Shedeur and his dad drive fans to TV screens whether its at Jackson State, Colorado or even the draft.

And who knows— if Sanders pans out in Cleveland maybe he could bring the Browns back to the national conversation in a way they haven’t experienced in a long time.

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