For all intents and purposes, Shedeur Sanders should be one of three quarterbacks taken in the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft. While former Miami Hurricanes star Cam Ward is destined to go No. 1 overall to the Tennessee Titans, the former Colorado Buffaloes great may have to wait to hear his name called, or potentially not very long at all. Sanders' NFL Draft stock is all over the place of late.
At one point in time, it seemed as though Sanders would go No. 2 overall to the Cleveland Browns. Now it seems incredibly likely that his former Colorado and Jackson State teammate Travis Hunter will be looking for a place to live in Northeast Ohio. Other teams could be looking at the gifted Colorado quarterback in the first round, namely the New Orleans Saints and the Pittsburgh Steelers.
The other thing to keep an eye on is the possibility of someone trading up to get him, whether that is from a team picking in the latter part of the first round, or a team wanting a second first-round selection moving up from the second round. Either way, Sanders seems to be ready for what is ahead of him. Being the son of Deion Sanders prepares you more than you think to handle this spotlight.
In the hours leading up to the NFL Draft, Sanders tweeted out this message to silence his haters.
"I'm built for whatever today may bring."
I’m built for whatever today may bring
— Shedeur Sanders (@ShedeurSanders) April 24, 2025
Love him or hate him, you have to respect this kind of approach by Sanders heading into the draft.
Shedeur Sanders is going about his NFL Draft journey the right way
Look. The Sanderses may be brash and a bit cocky, but they are not dumb and stupid. Everything they do is calculated. That is not to say that Sanders will be able to manipulate the draft like the Manning Family would, but Coach Prime is not going to let his son get fed to the wolves. They are well aware that going to the right team will do wonders for his budding career coming out of Colorado.
To me, I think teams like the Saints and Steelers make the most sense for him. Yes, his father may be an Atlanta Falcons legend, but New Orleans has been the more buttoned-up organization of late. Besides, having former quarterbacks like Kellen Moore and Doug Nussmeier in his ear could help Sanders get the most out of his potential. Plus, he would be playing in a dome in a very soft division.
As for the Steelers, Sanders is perhaps best equipped to deal with the Mike Tomlin locker room circus better than anyone. Sanders has one at places that are hard to win at in Colorado and Jackson State before that. While I am not entirely sure how good he will be in Arthur Smith's system, Sanders is a better NFL Draft prospect than Smith's favorite quarterback of all time in one Ryan Tannehill.
Ultimately, Sanders is going to have to make his keep in the NFL. His talent got him this far, but his surname opened doors for him another one would not have. Keep in mind that he was slated to play for Willie Taggart at Florida Atlantic before deciding to go play for his father at Jackson State. Regardless, Sanders must play with a chip on his shoulder because so many will want to see him fail.
I am rooting for him, but wherever he ends up will be totally out of my control. Can he overcome it?