Cam Ward and Shedeur Sanders are projected to be the top two quarterbacks selected in the 2025 NFL Draft. While Ward has been locked into many people’s top three, Sanders’ stock appears to be much murkier.
Whether it be the level of competition he played in college or the fact that his father is Hall of Famer Deion Sanders, some believe his stock may be slipping.
Sanders’ QB Coach Weighs in On Sanders’ Draft Stock
“You know what you’re getting,” said Darrell Colbert, quarterback coach and founder of Select QB Athletics on ‘The Sick Podcast-Talking Titans.’ “You’ve seen what his dad has done when he’s playing, you’ve seen what he does when he’s not playing.”
Deion Sanders is one of the greatest cornerbacks in the history of the NFL, and his name carries a lot of cache around the NFL. He also became the head coach at Colorado in 2023, where he has coached his sons, Shedeur and Shilo.
With such a personality being the father of a potential top draft selection, there are questions of whether that will be a distraction for a team and whether he will question any decisions made by a team regarding his son.
However, Colbert pushed back on this idea.
“You got a kid named Shedeur Sanders, and you know his dad’s gonna be around; that’s gonna sell tickets itself,” Colbert added. “From the outside looking in, a lot of people may question it, but I think when you get down to it, the people who are making the calls, I don’t think they’ve got a problem with it.”
The name alone will hold value due to its familiarity with fans. Colbert argues that from a business perspective alone, tickets will be sold due to selecting Sanders.
Sanders finished eighth in Heisman Trophy voting in 2024 after leading the Big 12 in nearly every statistical passing category. He completed 74.0% of his passes for 4,134 yards, 37 touchdowns, and 10 interceptions in 13 games. He holds the FBS record for career completion percentage at 71.8%.
The Cleveland Browns and New York Giants have been heavily linked to Sanders. However, if he falls past pick three, it’s uncertain where he could go, with teams such as the Las Vegas Raiders, New Orleans Saints, and Pittsburgh Steelers serving as teams that could be interested in selecting a quarterback.
Where Sanders is selected in the 2025 NFL Draft will be something to watch as the draft inches closer. Whether selected in the top 10 or later in the first round, he will undoubtedly be one of the top storylines in the NFL entering his rookie season.