It now seems like a foregone conclusion that Miami quarterback Cam Ward will be the No. 1 overall pick of the 2025 NFL Draft. However, Colorado QB Shedeur Sanders seems to be moving in the opposite direction, as an ESPN insider reveals that some front office executives no longer consider the signal-caller a Round 1 pick.
“The people I’ve talked to believe that Shedeur Sanders is under consideration in that top three,” ESPN NFL reporter Jeremy Fowler shared. “Here’s the tricky part with Sanders. Before I walked in here, I texted with a half-dozen or so high-level personnel people with team. I asked them a simple question. Do you have a first-round grade on Shedeur Sanders? … Four said no, more of a second-rounder. Two said yes, he’s a mid-to-late first-round pick.”
From @SportsCenter: Teams grapple with whether Shedeur Sanders is a true first-round prospect, and Pittsburgh continues to wait at QB while working on draft
With @LRiddickESPN and @aminajadeTV pic.twitter.com/Dnhu0vLmOy
— Jeremy Fowler (@JFowlerESPN) March 29, 2025
With the Tennessee Titans seemingly in on Ward, drafting Shedeur Sanders in the top three will now fall to the Cleveland Browns, the New York Giants, or a team that trades up. With the Browns seemingly circling Penn State pass rusher Abdul Carter and the Giants recently signing Russell Wilson and Jameis Winston, that trade-up now seems like the most likely way for Sanders to go in the top three.
If he falls out of the top three, there are a few teams that could stop Sanders’ fall to the second round. The Las Vegas Raiders at No. 6, the New Orleans Saints at No. 9, and the Pittsburgh Steelers at No. 21 are the teams that could prevent the Buffaloes QB from going to Round 2.
For a quarterback, dropping to the second round is bad news.
Picking a quarterback in Round 1 means that the team gets a fifth-year option on the player. This gives the team an extra season of a young, star QB making reasonable money, which all teams hope for. Dropping to Round 2 means that teams aren’t convinced a QB will become a star in those first four seasons, so the fifth-year option is not as big a concern.
While going in Round 2 isn’t a death sentence, the Round does have a rough hit rate for quarterbacks. Yes, Jalen Hurts, Colin Kaepernick, Andy Dalton, Derek Carr, Jimmy Garoppolo, and Geno Smith were second-round selections, but outside of Hurts, these QBs were all good, not great.
Other passers in Round 2 include Will Levis, Brock Osweiler, Drew Lock, DeShone Kizer, Jimmy Clausen, Kyle Trask, and Christian Hackenberg, who are all different levels of busts.
If Shedeur Sanders falls to Round 2, it means that the league thinks his ceiling is as a decent quarterback at best.
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