Shedeur Sanders should have done enough to silence all his critics heading into the 2025 NFL Draft after an impressive pro day. The Colorado Buffaloes superstar quarterback lit it up in gym shorts and a t-shirt in front of the masses in Boulder. Accuracy and throwing a catchable ball are two of his best traits that will translate to the league. That is part of why I think he is the best quarterback in this draft.
And as shocking as it may sound, Sanders totally agrees with me! Of course he would; why would he not?! He said as much in the aftermath of his Colorado Pro Day. I have mentioned this before in passing and in my writing that I subscribe to something I call the Damian Lillard theory. At his peak, was he the best player in the NBA? No, but did he think he was. Yes! It is all about thinking you are.
Sanders' quote might come across as cocky to some, but this is the right kind of confidence to me.
"I feel like I'm the No. 1 quarterback, and that's what I know. But at the end of the day, I'm not stuck on that because it's about the situation, so whatever situation, whatever franchise believes in me, I'm excited to go. ... I'm comfortable in any situation."
It should be noted his father Deion Sanders says his son and Travis Hunter should go one and two.
"It's tremendous. ... They should be going 1-2 [in the draft], that's the way I feel about it. They are the two best players in this draft. ... The surest bets in this draft are those two young men, and I didn't stutter or stammer when I said that."
Let's unpack this a bit further why fading Sanders is probably the worst thing any NFL team can do.
Shedeur Sanders' argument to be QB1 in the 2025 NFL Draft is not wrong
I am more than willing to eat crow on this, but I have a feeling Sanders will end up being the far better pro over Ward. While there is a chance all three potential first-round quarterbacks can have great success in the league, Jaxson Dart absolutely has to go to the right place and Ward's success is not going to measure up to being the presumptive No. 1 overall pick. Team fit will be everything for them.
Whether it be accuracy, sound mechanics, polish, poise, you name it, Sanders is my quarterback in this draft. While I fully understand that it was a bit of a baptism by fire in his first year at Colorado, I saw tremendous growth and maturity in his second and final season leading the Buffaloes. Sanders is well aware that he may not be going to the best of franchises, just like his father did going to Atlanta.
In the end, it will come down to who is better prepared to handle the spotlight and the rigors that come from playing in the NFL. Dart, Sanders and Ward all had interesting paths to the NFL. In a way, I think they all serve them. However, I trust Sanders's pedigree and his unorthodox college football career at both Colorado and Jackson State to be two cards in his pocket he can play others cannot.
The best part is we will get to see how this all unfolds over the next several seasons in the league.