With Cam Ward becoming the favorite to be the first overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, many are wondering what has brought down Shedeur Sanders’ draft stock. ESPN’s draft guru, Mel Kiper, who originally projected Sanders to be a top three, now sees him falling to the New York Jets with the seventh overall pick. This reflects the shift in opinion surrounding the 23-year-old signal caller.
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Some analysts feel Shedeur’s decision to forgo the NFL Combine could be the factor at play. Then there are those who feel Ward is simply the more athletic prospect. Jason Whitlock, meanwhile, offered an alternative viewpoint.
Believing that there’s always more to it, Whitlock claimed that Shedeur’s ever-slumping draft appeal is the result of his familial ties and upbringing.
“He’s Dak Prescott with Deion as daddy and all the hype of Colorado. He’s Dak Prescott. The guy wants to be some sort of rapper, to emulate his dad, who was some sort of rapper. He’s too full of himself,” he said on the Fearless with Jason Whitlock podcast.
“Can you have any part of Deion’s personality and be a successful quarterback in the National Football League? I don’t think so,” added Whitlock.
The panel and Whitlock did acknowledge that Prescott was drafted much later, as the fourth-round pick. The neediness of the top teams in this year’s draft should all but ensure that Sanders will be a top pick.
That said, considering that his father is expected to have a say in where he plays, teams hoping to implement a successful rebuild could get scared away by the added press that comes with the Sanders name. Then there are the perceived weak links in Shedeur’s game.
Analyst explains Shedeur’s weaknesses
Despite claiming that “the physical tangibles are there,” analyst Steve Kim suggested that there is still a laundry list of things that Shedeur must improve upon should he hope to find success in the NFL.
“Number one, he holds the ball too long. Number two, he drifts in the pocket. I’d say at least half of the sacks that he took were not on the offensive line. Shedeur’s good at the quick game, but I worry about the intermediate throws and some of the stuff outside of the hash marks like the deep out. I think he struggles with that,” Kim explained.
Unimpressed by what both Ward and Shedeur have offered on film, Kim admits that he wonders “How much of this is about the system?” While Kim does maintain that he’s more worried about the Colorado prospect, the prevailing sentiment indicates that this is the worst QB class in recent years.
Then again, someone has to draft these players. Given the fact that there are a lot of teams who find themselves in need of a signal caller, Shedeur’s draft stock should remain well insulated.
