Shedeur Sanders has his flaws, but in a weak quarterback class, it might not matter. Sanders' father, NFL legend Deion Sanders, has made some teams weary of selecting Shedeur too high. The Colorado product isn't the perfect prospect, either, as he lacks pocket awareness and mobility. In the NFL, he could struggle if placed behind a poor offensive line.
As FanSided's Colton Edwards mentioned in his scouting report of Sanders prior to the draft, there are aspects of the NFL game he could struggle to adjust to, "Sanders only has adequate athletic ability and will not evade high-end edge rushers at the next level despite the pre-snap recognition. He often drifts out of the pocket when feeling pressure instead of stepping up. Adequate anticipation when eyeing receivers off breaks can make him hesitant in his release, which is fairly slow," Edwards wrote.
That is a glaring weakness that in a normal draft class with plenty of quarterbacks to choose from would force Sanders to wait well into Day 2. This year, only Cam Ward is considered an elite prospect, and because of that he will likely go No. 1 overall to the Tennessee Titans. It says a lot about Sanders that despite being the second-best player at the most important position in the sport, front offices remain weary about taking a chance on him.
Shedeur Sanders could go to the Browns after all
Per ESPN's latest mock draft, it appears that the Steelers will also pass on Sanders at pick No. 21 if he's available. That means the best chance at Shedeur going in the first round would be via a quarterback-needy team trading back in. Enter the Cleveland Browns, who besides Joe Flacco and Kenny Pickett don't have many options at the position for 2025.
Field Yates backs up his prediction with a simple analysis. If Sanders gets past the Steelers at 21, the Browns shouldn't wait. "Predicting landing spots for quarterbacks beyond Ward has proved difficult this year, but if Sanders gets past Pittsburgh at No. 21, Cleveland could get good value here. He's accurate and throws with touch, and he'd improve the Browns' QB outlook," Yates wrote.
Taking Sanders in the top-5 is a risk, as there are better overall players available. However, selecting him late in the first round sounds about right. Sanders value at worst is early Day 2. Trading up to select him late on Day 1 because the Browns believe in him is risky, but Cleveland has little to lose.