Colorado Buffaloes star Shedeur Sanders went into the pre-draft process in the mix to be the first overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. With draft day now closing in, there are now evidently a number of teams who don’t believe Sanders is even the second-best quarterback in this class.
Sanders is a multi-year starter who is widely recognized as being one of the most accurate passers in this class. He also brings toughness, on-field leadership and confidence that NFL coaches love from the centerpiece of their offense. However, there are also lingering questions about his skill set.
Related: Shedeur Sanders doesn’t want to be drafted by specific teams
- Shedeur Sanders stats (ESPN): 4,134 passing yards, 37-10 TD-INT, 74% completion rate, 8.7 yards per attempt, 168.2 QB rating, 4 rushing touchdowns
The 23-year-old is a pocket passer with just league-average athleticism and his arm strength is only considered to be slightly above average. With physical skills that fall short of being considered a franchise-caliber quarterback, Sanders doesn’t necessarily have the upside teams covet nor the ability to carry an offense.
One scout told ESPN.com‘s Matt Miller that he ranks Ole Miss quarterback Jaxson Dart ahead of Sanders and multiple teams reportedly share that assessment.
“According to the scout, multiple NFL teams have Dart ranked over Sanders and believe he has better physical traits (arm strength, mobility) and more developmental upside.”
ESPN’s Matt Miller on conversations with an NFL scout regarding jaxson Dart vs Shedeur Sanders
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Dart is also very accurate, but he is a much better athlete than Sanders. There are also likely NFL teams who see more upside with the former Ole Miss signal-caller because he has better arm strength and a higher ceiling than Sanders does.
However, Dart isn’t nearly as polished, with the consensus opinion being that he isn’t ready to start in the NFL as a rookie. Furthermore, the majority of teams still seem to rank Sanders ahead of Dart, with the Buffaloes’ quarterback widely expected to be a top-10 pick while Dart might sneak into the end of Round 1.
