After electing to forgo the 2025 NFL Combine in lieu of his Colorado pro day, Shedeur Sanders’ draft stock remains in free fall. After being previously projected as a top three pick in the draft, the 2024 Golden Arm winner now sees himself consistently booked as a mid to late first round draft pick.
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In keeping with the prevailing sentiment, CBS Sports’ Ryan Wilson has now removed the 23-year-old from his personal top 25 draft rankings. After enduring a vicious slide on draft night, Wilson predicts that the Los Angeles Rams will be the ones to prevent Sanders from falling any further.
Citing the old adage of “fit matters,” Wilson believes that the Rams could provide Sanders with a situation similar to that of the Chicago Bears and Caleb Williams.
“10 months ago, this time, Caleb Williams was in the best situation for a first round pick in a long time… I think L.A. with the Rams, Shedeur can sit for a year or two behind Matthew Stafford. You have Sean McVay getting the best out of you, and that team is ready to win now. That feels like… a much better situation than, say, going two overall to the Cleveland Browns,” he said.
While the Bears managed to provide a robust receiving core for their newfound quarterback, the Rams can offer Sanders something else entirely, a playoff winning roster.
Likening Sanders’ situation to that of Will Levis, Wilson maintains that the decline in draft stock “has nothing to do with the tape.” From the aforementioned combine decision to his answers at press scrums, Wilson suggests that Sanders’ camp has made a few missteps throughout the scouting process.
“It’s been sort of the missed layups that we’ve seen over the course of the offseason. Whether it wasn’t throwing for at least one day at the Shrine Bowl or the interviews that could have perhaps gone better, not that they were terrible but they weren’t quite as forceful, if you will, as the Cam Ward interviews and that is who he is being compared to.”
While it seems highly unlikely that Sanders will actually fall all the way to the 26th spot on draft night, the location and roster construction of the Rams would prove to be an ideal situation for any rookie quarterback. Nevertheless, stranger things have happened on draft.
Given the rate at which Sanders’ stock is falling, Wilson’s prediction isn’t entirely removed from the realm of possibility.
Ryan Wilson reveals his top 5 picks of the 2025 NFL Draft
Vindicating his position as the host of the With the First Pick draft day podcast, Wilson unveiled his latest mock draft during CBS Sports’ most recent broadcast. Maintaining that Miami’s Cam Ward will be the first overall pick of the 2025 NFL Draft, Wilson’s prediction sees these players having their name called early.
- Cam Ward
- Travis Hunter
- Abdul Carter
- Tetairoa McMillan
- Mason Graham
Considering that each of those five players is currently listed as the betting favorites to be the first selected at their respective position, Wilson’s mock sees a rather pedestrian start.
Seemingly aligned with his contemporaries on the majority of picks, his exclusion of Sanders from the top 25 may be a tad aggressive. Then again, he is the in-house draft expert for a reason.
