Sanders was widely seen as a potential top-five pick for much of the pre-draft process. Playing alongside Heisman Trophy winner and eventual No. 2 overall pick Travis Hunter, Sanders earned the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award and the Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year award in his final season at Colorado, which went 9-4 with a loss in the Alamo Bowl.

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However, while Sanders expected to be picked early, there were some whispers he was slipping in the week before the draft, and some anonymous coaches trashing his interviews didn’t help.

Those expectations of an early selection were also always in defiance of a consensus that this year’s quarterback class is somewhat weak from an NFL standpoint. Yahoo Sports had Sanders ranked as the No. 39 overall prospect in the class on its consensus big board, with No. 1 pick Cam Ward ranked eighth as the only QB in the top 10.

The big board’s scouting report on Sanders:

Sanders improved his play this season, especially with his feel in the pocket and timing that he plays with on concepts. Sanders is tough, has a good arm and is more than willing to challenge defenders on tougher throws like in-breakers over the middle. When in rhythm, he can let his pass catchers thrive because of his friendly ball placement.

Sanders has below-average size and is also just an average athlete, which shows up when asked to create. He has markedly better pocket movement (although he still has a tendency to drift backward).

Sanders still has plenty to work on, especially in regards to timing and feel in the pocket. And while he has a good-enough arm for the NFL, his tools aren’t overwhelming enough to consistently mitigate tough situations. Sanders will have to be dropped into a good ecosystem to keep ascending at the next level.

The reason why Sanders was expected to be selected so early was that some teams in the top five needed a new franchise quarterback, and many people believed Sanders would be viewed that way. And when it became clear that wasn’t true, it didn’t leave him with much in the way of landing spots later in the round.

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The Tennessee Titans took Ward. The Cleveland Browns, saddled with the worst contract in professional sports, opted to trade back and stockpile for the future. The New York Giants took Penn State defensive end Abdul Carter at No. 3, then made a trade to select Ole Miss passer Jaxson Dart. The New Orleans Saints decided to take an offensive lineman.

Simply put, Thursday was less surprising for people who pay more attention to scouting reports than mock drafts.