As the 2025 NFL Draft nears, the much-hyped quarterback Shedeur Sanders’ draft slot remains a point of contention. The former Colorado star was initially believed to be a top-five pick, but as more concerns regarding his skills have surfaced, Sanders’ draft stock has drifted to a range within the top 20.
This would change the whole narrative of where Sanders lands, as opposed to a previously popular projection of the Cleveland Browns drafting him at No. 2. NFL insider Adam Schefter reports that certain teams’ front offices, particularly those with later Round 1 picks, could see drafting Sanders as a potential answer to their franchise QB concerns.
3 Wild Card Teams Shedeur Sanders Could Land With
During his appearance on “The Pat McAfee Show,” Schefter mentioned several teams that could draft Sanders but that he believed Prime Time’s son would most likely be drafted at No. 9 overall (New Orleans Saints) or at No. 21 (Pittsburgh Steelers).
“This is, to me, going to be the great question of where does Shedeur Sanders go because it doesn’t look like [No.] 2 or 3. So, is he going No. 9 to New Orleans? No. 21 to Pittsburgh? Is he going to the Browns or Giants who trade back up, or is there a wild-card scenario out there that we don’t see and we haven’t talked about?” Schefter said.
But while the Saints and Steelers remain Schefter’s best bets, the Miami Dolphins, Arizona Cardinals, and Los Angeles Rams are three more teams that could consider drafting Sanders to address their existing quarterback issues.
Miami’s QB1, Tua Tagovailoa, has been under the microscope for his inconsistent performance and, mainly, his injury history. He missed five regular-season games due to a concussion in 2024, which posed several questions about his health and durability as the franchise’s starting quarterback.
“I don’t think it’s likely, but I’m not dismissing it,” Schefter says.
As for the Cardinals, Schefter claimed that the franchise owner, Michael Bidwill, was not a “huge fan” of Kyler Murray, leading to questions swirling around his starting role.
“What if all of a sudden they take Shedeur Sanders and then put it in a position where they can move on from Kyler Murray?” Schefter proposed.
The Rams and Matthew Stafford are also going through something similar, with genuine concerns about Stafford’s health and whether he would be a reliable long-term choice.
Whichever team lands Sanders would require a ton of gritty development over at least a couple of years to lock him in as the franchise’s long-term QB, as he’d be replacing veterans with notable records.
PFSN’s latest 2025 NFL Mock Draft projects the quarterback to go to the New York Jets at No. 7. For that, Sanders would first need to clear the doubts surrounding him currently about not being skillful enough to play pro-style offenses.