Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders has become one of the more polarizing draft prospects in recent memory. Not only are there off-field concerns with his professionalism but his Hall-of-Fame father has recently stoked the flames.
Sanders’ on-field ability has also been questioned during the pre-draft process, but he’s still expected to be selected highly in the 2025 NFL Draft. NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport agrees that Sanders will likely be taken high, but calls him ‘The biggest draft question mark’ he can remember.
NFL Insider Says Shedeur Sanders Is A Huge Question Mark Despite High Pick Expectation
Sanders began his college career at Jackson State, leading the Tigers to back-to-back SWAC championships. He followed his father to Colorado in 2023 and immediately became the Buffaloes’ starting quarterback.
After a rocky first season, Sanders led an impressive turnaround in 2024, throwing for 4,134 yards and 37 touchdowns while completing 74% of his passes. That led all of FBS last season and made him the all-time leader in FBS career completion percentage at 71.8%.
His on-field performance put him in the first-overall pick discussion, but Miami’s Cam Ward has taken over that spot in many recent mock drafts. Rapoport recently appeared on “The Pat McAfee Show” discussing Sanders and where he could end up in the 2025 NFL Draft.
"I think we're gonna see three Quarterbacks drafted in the top fifteen..
Where Shedeur Sanders goes is the biggest draft question mark that I can remember in a very long time..
What he did at Colorado and Jackson State is unbelievable" ~ @RapSheet #PMSLive pic.twitter.com/Us48MTtatu
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow)
Rapoport responded when asked if Sanders could go in the top three, “I’ll start with the last thing first. The way it’s looking to me now…my guess is we get three in the top 15. Where Shedeur Sanders goes is the biggest draft question mark that I can remember in a very, very long time, and I know that Coach Prime…has talked about the haters.
“I don’t know if it’s haters, but people have a lot of questions. He is for sure talented. He has put two programs on his actual back and led them back to national prominence. What he did at Colorado is awesome. What he did at Jackson State is unbelievable. He’s a rockstar, but it’s not a slam-dunk number-one overall selection like a lot of people think Cam Ward is.
“Could Shedeur Sanders go #2 to Cleveland, possible. #3 to the Giants, possible. Could I see him going past the top 10, and be the biggest question mark of the draft with every single team on the clock being like, ‘Are they gonna take Shedeur?’ I can see that too. It is absolutely fascinating, and a month out now I have absolutely no idea.”
PFSN’s Ben Rolfe thinks Sanders can go in the top three expecting him to be selected by the New York Giants with the third pick. Rolfe points out that the Cleveland Browns could take Sanders at No. 2 but are the ultimate wild card in the draft if the Tennessee Titans select Ward at No. 1.
Rolfe agrees that Ward has the higher upside, but sees New York as a great situation for Sanders to develop behind Jameis Winston. The hype has built around Sanders and he’ll have to prove he’s the real deal for whatever team drafts him.
