Shedeur Sanders had 4,134 passing yards, 37 TDs, and a QBR of 75.5 for the Colorado Buffaloes last season. For any CFB prospect not named Sanders, these numbers would have guaranteed the spotlight throughout the Draft season.
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But despite being a walking blueprint for college quarterbacks and boasting a stat sheet that reads like a future NFL star’s resume, some critics still hesitate to place him in the conversation as a top-two QB in the upcoming NFL Draft. Colin Cowherd, however, isn’t one of them.
During an episode of The Herd, the veteran analyst reacted to Mel Kiper’s latest draft projection, which favored the New York Jets as the most likely landing spot for Shedeur. However, due to the negative media narrative surrounding the Buffs star, many have labeled the selection as the second coming of Daniel Jones—who, as we all know, was a colossal bust in the Big Apple.
Cowherd had a different take. He made it clear that Shedeur is not like Daniel Jones. Comparing Shedeur’s draft stock to Daniel Jones’ controversial sixth-overall selection in 2019, Cowherd also emphasized the difference between the two prospects—Shedeur is the second-best QB of his class, unlike Jones, whose 6th overall pick doesn’t match his true pedigree.
“Shedeur Sanders is the consensus number two quarterback in this draft. It’s not like Daniel Jones when the Giants picked him sixth—most people didn’t think he was a first-round quarterback. Shedeur is the second-most talented quarterback in this draft,” Cowherd firmly stated.
The popular narrative around Shedeur is that he doesn’t deserve to be projected as a top-three pick. Especially with talented players like Abdul Carter, Ashton Jeanty, and Mason Graham also in the draft.
But as Colin Cowherd pointed out, QBs have historically been overdrafted, so criticizing the Buffs star for something beyond his control is foolish. And for those still skeptical about the playmaker’s talents, Cowherd had one message—stop overthinking it.
“People get paralyzed by Shedeur Sanders being overrated. I think you’re undervaluing what he’s going to try to do… Who’s not overdrafted in the NFL at quarterback? Joe Burrow was a consensus pick, but now it looks like Trevor Lawrence was overdrafted,” Cowherd argued before adding,
“Everybody gets questioned. When Lamar came out, people thought he was overdrafted—some even thought he should be a wide receiver. You can’t worry about that.”
Cowherd asserted that the New York Giants shouldn’t give in to the media chatter and should draft Shedeur at No. 3. According to the analyst, with Malik Nabers, Andrew Thomas, and Tyrone Tracy Jr. at the Giants’ disposal, adding a QB like Shedeur—who was projected as a top pick just a few weeks ago—would give the New York-based team a competitive offensive unit.
So, rather than the Giants being at the mercy of Aaron Rodgers, Cowherd urged Brian Daboll & Co. to be the masters of their own destiny and build a team around the Colorado star.
“If you’re an offensive coach for the New York Giants and you’re thinking, ‘We can get a running back, a tight end, a left tackle, and Malik Nabers—it’s a real offense. And if Shedeur hits, which I think he could, you’re not going to care where he was drafted. And if he doesn’t? It’s New York. No city has whiffed on quarterbacks more in the last decade than New York. He’ll just become another one on the conveyor belt of misses.”
For a team desperate for a quarterback, passing on a talent like Shedeur might be a mistake they’ll regret for years to come. But this is the New York Giants we’re talking about—a team that failed to maximize Saquon Barkley during his time with them. So, expect the unexpected, as Joe Schoen is a man full of surprises.
