Lynch feels ‘empathy’ for Shedeur Sanders after 2025 NFL Draft tumble

The story of the 2025 NFL Draft was the unprecedented tumble of Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders.Once thought to be in contention for the No. 1 overall pick, the son of Hall of Famer Deion Sanders was not chosen in the first round.If that was not bad enough, he did not hear his name called in the second or third rounds, either.On Day 3, another round of selections flew by before the Cleveland Browns threw Sanders a lifeline at No. 144 overall.Cleveland already had selected Oregon quarterback Dillon Gabriel in the third round with the 94th pick."There's a lot of time and we're all doing our work, but then you're sitting up there and this was a story that kind of was prevalent," 49ers general manager John Lynch said.The 49ers eventually would select Indiana quarterback Kurtis Rourke in the seventh round.Lynch did not disclose whether the 49ers would have been interested in Sanders if had remained undrafted for much longer.Lynch, Adam Peters and Keena Turner visited Jackson State in October 2022 when Deion Sanders coached there and Shedeur was a sophomore quarterback.Sanders, coach and player, moved on to Colorado in 2023. Shedeur Sanders threw for 7,364 yards with 64 touchdowns...