This does not have to be this hard. Yet for whatever reason, we as a society love to make mountains out of mole hills and continually sweat the small stuff, lathering ourselves up into a frenzy over seemingly nothing. So much has been made about Shedeur Sanders' NFL Draft stock this offseason. I would take him inside the top five, no questions asked, but I also am not in charge of an NFL team.
So yes, I have assessed the possibility that he may take a draft-day stumble of sorts. The biggest question most of us have gotten to would be if the New Orleans Saints would pass on the former Colorado star at No. 9 overall. They still have Derek Carr, but he has not been as advertised the last two years. If the Cleveland Browns, New York Giants and Saints do not pick Sanders, who will then?
NFL insider Benjamin Allbright was presented a very interesting question on X and responded to a Browns fan by way of a quote tweet. While I do not think Sanders will still be on the board at No. 20 when the Denver Broncos are picking, I could absolutely see a scenario in which somebody trades up with a team picking between the Saints at No. 9 and the Pittsburgh Steelers at No. 21, even Denver...
Again, Sanders should be a top-five pick, but there is a chance teams might not value him as I do.
I presented that scenario about three weeks ago.
— Benjamin Allbright (@AllbrightNFL) April 7, 2025
Right now I think the biggest question mark to him potentially falling that far would be the Saints. https://t.co/HzCqoJ5Y4G
I will now look at a handful of teams picking behind the Steelers at No. 21 who could leapfrog them.
Who could steal Shedeur Sanders from Pittsburgh Steelers before pick?
Of the handful of teams picking between the Saints at No. 9 and the Steelers at No. 21, I cannot find a good fit for a team to conceivably take Sanders there. Again, these are the handful of teams we would be looking at potentially trading back in a deal with another team to move up for Sanders. After No. 21, the only team I think could be in play to trade up is the Los Angeles Rams picking at No. 26 overall.
So if it is not the Rams or a team picking between the Saints and Steelers in the first round, who could it be? No, I am not ruling out the idea of a team who passed on Sanders at the top of the first round trading back up to take Sanders in the mid-to-late teens. None of those teams really know what they are doing, so keep an eye on Cleveland, New York and New Orleans. Pittsburgh has to be cautious.
Overall, I will believe it when I see it if and when Sanders falls out of the top 10. We know he has banked a ton of starts in college. We know what NFL pedigree he possesses from his famous father. Most importantly, we know that his NFL prototype works in the league. Sanders projects to be akin to Kirk Cousins, Jared Goff and Geno Smith. All three have been perennial Pro Bowl players in the NFL.
While somebody could conceivably leapfrog Pittsburgh, that is a lot of ifs, ands and buts to be had...