NFL fans found a way to troll Mel Kiper and Shedeur Sanders after a new pope was elected.
While Kiper and Sanders are far removed from the Vatican, they were trending on social media after the appointment of Robert F. Prevost, who will go by Pope Leo XIV following a two-day deliberation.
Habemus Papam! We have a Pope!
The Cardinals gathered in the Vatican’s Sistine Chapel have elected Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost as the 267th Pope, who took the name Pope Leo XIV. pic.twitter.com/7COawsKvWu
— Vatican News (@VaticanNews) May 8, 2025
Prevost only needed four votes to be elected, the same number his predecessors, Pope Francis and Pope Benedict XVI, needed.
Social Media Was All About The Shedeur Sanders Slide After The New Pope Was Announced
While Catholics around the world celebrated the development, NFL fans made Kiper/Sanders jokes.
“BREAKING: Mel Kiper FURIOUS that the new Pope is not Shedeur Sanders,” one shared in a post on X.
BREAKING: Mel Kiper FURIOUS that the new Pope is not Shedeur Sanders pic.twitter.com/7KwJHg9q1W
— KJ (@SeminoleKJ) May 8, 2025
“Whoever the new pope is, Mel Kiper will be furious it’s not Shedeur Sanders,” said another.
Whoever the new pope is, Mel Kiper will be furious it's not Shedeur Sanders.
— Stewart Mandel (@slmandel) May 8, 2025
“IF MEL KIPER JR. HAD IT HIS WAY… SHEDEUR SANDERS WOULD BE POPE,” another post read.
IF MEL KIPER JR. HAD IT HIS WAY…
SHEDUER SANDERS WOULD BE POPE pic.twitter.com/w8FpeSHW9m
— MLFootball (@_MLFootball) May 9, 2025
“Mel Kiper is on the BBC World Service pissed Shedeur wasn’t picked as pope smh,” someone quipped.
Mel Kiper is on the BBC World Service pissed Shedeur wasn’t picked as pope smh
— Hayden Winks (@HaydenWinks) May 8, 2025
“Somewhere, Mel Kiper is angry that Shedeur Sanders was passed over to be the next pope. (Probably),” another user joked.
Somewhere, Mel Kiper is angry that Shedeur Sanders was passed over to be the next pope. (Probably) pic.twitter.com/viAZ91KoEU
— Daniel Burke (@burkedaniel) May 8, 2025
“You’ve got Sanders, the best player available, sitting right there for the taking and the Vatican goes with a 69 year old Chicago native? The Vatican just doesn’t have a clue when it comes to evaluating Popes!” a fan wrote, mocking the ESPN draft analyst.
“You’ve got Shedeur Sanders, the best player available, sitting right there for the taking and the Vatican goes with a 69 year old Chicago native? The Vatican just doesn’t have a clue when it comes to evaluating Popes!” pic.twitter.com/HD3yukSCjV
— Geoff Simmons (@biggeoff69) May 8, 2025
Sanders was drafted by the Cleveland Browns in the fifth round after sliding out of the first. He had to wait until Day 3 of the draft to hear his name called, so there were also some jokes about Prevost learning his fate a day earlier than the former Colorado quarterback.
The new Pope has also made history, becoming the first American to be elected. The Chicago will take up the role a year and a half after being appointed cardinal by the late Pope Francis.
Also Read: NFL Is Reportedly Being Sued For $100 Million Over Shedeur Sanders’ Draft Slide