Shedeur Sanders remains ever-polarizing as April 24 draws closer. His production for the Colorado Buffaloes left many impressed. However, doubts still persist about his tape and how it might translate to the NFL stage. As a result, his draft stock continues to fluctuate on a virtually daily basis.
Starting off as potentially the best quarterback in the draft, Sanders has by and large lost that race to Cam Ward. However, his position in the draft might also be slipping from a potential top-three pick to somewhere lower down. One analyst believes that slide might be the best thing for his career.
Could Sliding Help Shedeur Sanders?
The latest round of odds from FanDuel has Sanders going to the New Orleans Saints with the ninth overall pick. The latest mock draft from PFSN shares the same sentiment, with Brentley Weissman describing it as a “great fit.”
However, for a quarterback that many presumed would land with one of the three teams at the top of the draft, the slide might be seen as a hit to his confidence. Brett Kollmann believes otherwise.
An analyst for Underdog and host of “The Film Room,” Kollmann thinks instead of a deterrent, sliding down to New Orleans might be a blessing in disguise for the Colorado star.
“Honestly, in the interest of Shedeur having a successful career, I think him going to the Saints would be the best thing for him, at least out of the top 10 teams. They have their left tackle, they have their WR1, and they have a head coach that understands the position. Could work there.”
Honestly, in the interest of Shedeur having a successful career I think him going to the Saints would be the best thing for him, at least out of the top 10 teams.
They have their left tackle, they have their WR1, and they have a head coach that understands the position. Could… https://t.co/qU1qAJBhbB
— Brett Kollmann (@BrettKollmann) April 7, 2025
It wouldn’t be a shock if Sanders takes over as the starter relatively soon. Not only would it allow the Saints to move off Derek Carr, but it could also finally help fix a cap situation that has gotten incredibly tight since the days of Drew Brees.
Last year, the Saints were an underwhelming offensive unit, outside of the first two weeks of the season. They finished 22nd on PFSN’s Offense+ metric. Sanders alone, especially as a rookie, won’t fix that.
But he could be the start of a rebuild in New Orleans as the team resets its clock with Sanders at the helm. At Colorado, he’s already shown his accuracy—with a 74% completion percentage—and productivity, throwing for 4,134 yards and 37 touchdowns.
That kind of offense, paired with decent weapons, has Weissman envisioning Sanders “pushing Carr for the starting job.”