Before the 2025 NFL Draft begins Thursday, both Albert Breer and Conor Orr of Sports Illustrated suggested that Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders could slide to the second round, although many view Sanders as the draft’s second-best quarterback.
For an article published on Tuesday, Breer spoke with NFL coaches about why multiple signal-callers may be drafted before Sanders.
“If his last name was Breer,” an unnamed NFC quarterbacks coach said about Sanders, “and he was coming out of Minnesota, he’d be a sixth-round pick. He doesn’t play with good feet. He’s late on stuff. He has an average arm. His accuracy is OK, but he has no timing, no anticipation. He flashes some throws, but he’s an average player, not a great athlete. Even if you watch his pro day, there’s no timing or rhythm. He takes extra hitches.”
It was once thought early into the pre-draft process that Sanders could go to the Cleveland Browns at pick No. 2 or to the New York Giants at No. 3. However, an update from ESPN’s Peter Schrager shared on Tuesday indicated those teams are more likely to trade their first-round selections than use those assets to land Sanders.
The Tennessee Titans are expected to make Miami quarterback Cam Ward the draft’s first choice.
Criticisms of Sanders’ athleticism hovered over his draft status from before the NFL Scouting Combine up until he tossed “a decent percentage of wobblers” during his pro day workout on April 4. Additionally, it’s believed some coaches may not want to deal with how drafting Sanders could result in a club being linked with Colorado head coach Deion Sanders, Shedeur’s father.
Depending on where Shedeur ends up, Deion could be an option for an NFL team as soon as next year.
“It’s so hard because there really is no redeemable quality that’s at a high end,” one NFC coordinator told Breer about Shedeur Sanders. “Give him credit — when someone’s open, he’s accurate. He’s tough. He’s resilient. But in terms of a pure thrower, he’s not up there with the top starters in the NFL; he’s well below that. … Looking at last year’s class, for me, he’s closer to [2024 fifth-round draft choice Spencer Rattler]. If there’s a world where it works out, it’s because he’s accurate, tough, has some savvy, but I’d be surprised if he was a really good starter.”
As of Tuesday morning, DraftKings Sportsbook listed a Pittsburgh Steelers team that possesses the 21st overall pick of the draft as the betting favorite at +190 odds to take Sanders. Pittsburgh will likely draft a quarterback even if the club signs veteran Aaron Rodgers before Thursday night arrives.
