Shedeur Sanders may not be a lock for next year’s NFL Draft first overall pick. At this point last year, everyone knew that Caleb Williams would be the first overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, regardless of who made the selection. Everything is up in the air this upcoming season and a complete mystery. With six of the 12 worst teams getting a quarterback last year, there is a good chance that next year, the first overall pick won’t be a quarterback. In fact, we may not see a QB taken in the top five at all.
If there is one quarterback that seems to be the most high on the list, it is Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders. But not everyone is as high on Sanders as you may think. In a surprising twist, Josh Edwards, who writes for CBS Sports, has projected that not only will Sanders not be taken in the first five picks, but he won’t be the first quarterback taken either.
Shedeur Sanders Struggles Can’t Struggle With Winning
A recent trend that NFL GMs and coaches have seemed to value is winning in college at the highest level. Often, when a great player comes from a bad team or an unproven team (Trey Lance with NDSU, Zach Wilson from BYU during 2020), they struggle in the NFL to create a winning culture. Sure, there are exceptions to this, but now, in the transfer portal era where anyone can transfer anywhere, it can be a bit head-scratching when a QB can’t build a winning culture around him. This is even more true when the coach is Deion Sanders.
Yes, if Shedeur Sanders goes off and wins 10+ games, the case will be closed, and he will be locked up as the top pick. But if Colorado once again struggles and they finish below .500 or right around it, teams may want to pass on him and pick a differently positioned player or an entirely different quarterback.
Carson Beck is Projected to Go as the First QB in 2025
No matter how much Georgia wins, there is still a stereotype around the nation that Georgia is not a quarterback school. Even when the Bulldogs won back-to-back National Championships, there were still many questions about Stetson Bennett and whether he could be an NFL QB (and it’s fair since he barely holds a spot for the Rams).
However, Carson Beck should not be overlooked. Last year, he threw for nearly 4,000 yards, 26 touchdowns, and only 6 interceptions on a 72% completion percentage. Add in the fact that he is 6’4″ and fits the stereotypical quarterback build pretty well. And Josh Edwards agrees, putting him sixth overall to the Giants, while Shedeur Sanders is projected to go 12th to the Las Vegas Raiders.
If Beck has another season similar to what he did this past year, don’t be shocked to see Beck actually taken ahead of Sanders in the draft, even if he isn’t being talked about as much as Sanders.