Shedeur Sanders‘ draft stock has been a full-on saga. Once pegged as a potential top pick, he’s now hovering around the 21st spot, a dramatic nosedive. Ditching Combine workouts and his interview demeanor didn’t help, cementing the “arrogant” and “brash” labels. This allowed Cam Ward to seize the QB1 spotlight all for himself. However, just when things looked bleak, ESPN’s latest analysis has him rising again, even above Travis Hunter and Abdul Carter, making him a hot commodity for QB-hungry teams.
The Cleveland Browns, with the second overall pick, initially showed strong interest. Sanders, fresh off leading Colorado from a 4-8 record to a 9-4 season, even visited the team. Especially given their Deshaun Watson woes. Remember that whole $230 million fully guaranteed contract? Yeah, that’s not exactly “flexibility” when you’re looking to snag a solid season-long veteran quarterback from free agency. And to make matters worse, Watson ruptured his Achilles tendon in January, meaning he’s out for the next season. So, Sanders, with his pocket passer prowess, seemed like a match made in quarterback heaven for Kevin Stefanski’s system. But then, the plot thickened. The Browns acquired Kenny Pickett from the Eagles and met with Tyler Shough and even veteran Aaron Rodgers, casting doubt on Sanders’ future in Cleveland.
Despite this, ESPN8 analyst Stephen remains convinced Cleveland is the ideal landing spot. He even polled his X followers, asking who they’d pick at #2 if they didn’t trade down: Shedeur Sanders, Travis Hunter, Cam Ward, or Abdul Carter. “My official stance: I want Shedeur Sanders,” he declared.
My official stance: I want Shedeur Sanders.
Would I be mad with Carter or Hunter? Absolutely not (Cam will be gone at 2)
My biggest thing against Carter/Hunter is that most of the people that want them want Russell Wilson as their bridge with a project QB this year in the… https://t.co/VAEzJkzxut
— Stephen (@Scuba_Steve26) March 24, 2025
Stephen clarified that it’s not about Carter or Hunter being bad picks; they’re both top talents. But even then, that’s a red flag for those non-QB guys. They’re already fighting an uphill battle in the draft, and Stephen’s whole ‘quarterback-first’ thing could leave Carter and Hunter as collateral damage in the QB frenzy. Even Mel Kiper’s recent mock draft had Carter going No. 2 to the Browns and Hunter at No. 4 to the Pats. But if the Browns suddenly go all-in on Shedeur at No. 2, the whole draft board goes haywire.
Especially since a lot of Browns fans are pushing for a short-term Russell Wilson deal, with a project QB for the future. As ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reported, “The Browns still have interest in Russell Wilson. They are still pursuing that angle, but they have Carson Wentz as a contingency plan.” And all that just throws Shedeur’s Cleveland situation into even more chaos.
Stephen added, “Problem is, Russell is good enough to get you to 9-8 maybe 10-7 and that’s it, but could put you out of reach from drafting one of those QBs you covet so dearly. A year ago Sanders was a can’t miss prospect. What changed? Go get him.” Now the Titans holding the first overall pick, might snag Cam Ward, and if Cleveland passes on Shedeur, they could regret it. Let’s be real, Shedeur’s talent is undeniable. His 74% completion rate makes him a good fit for Kevin Stefanski’s system. But his NFL future is far from certain.
Is Shedeur Sanders’ NFL future in jeopardy?
While Shedeur fits the Browns on paper, concerns remain. His 120th-ranked play-action game 52 sacks in 2023 and 42 sacks in the 2024 season are worrying. And then there’s the perceived “attitude problem.”
NCAA, College League, USA Football 2024: Valero Alamo Bowl BYU vs Colorado DEC 26 December 26, 2024: Quarterback Shedeur Sanders 2 of the University of Colorado pre-game Media press conference, PK, Pressekonferenz at the NCAA Valero Alamo Bowl against BYU at the Alamodome. San Antonio, Texas. Mario Cantu/CSM/Sipa USACredit Image: Mario Cantu/Cal Media/Sipa USA San Antonio Texas United States of America
Charles Robinson of Yahoo Sports put it bluntly, “People say look it’s system specific what coach and what system will he fit into just like Bo Nix last year. Like Bo Nix was kind of like Shedeur last year. You just have people saying well I don’t like the way you know came off in interviews or whatever he seems cocky he seems you know arrogant but people looked at Bo Nix and said he’s not a first-round pick, some people were assigning a mid-round value to him but ultimately it didn’t matter as long as he had someone who believed in him.”
Bo Nix, now with the Broncos, faced similar doubts despite impressive college stats. Denver took a chance, and he’s become their franchise player. Will Shedeur follow suit, or has his draft stock fallen too far?
Robinson also revealed, “I talked to two people who connected with him at the combine and they felt rubbed the wrong way.” This perception is risky for someone already under scrutiny. Is Shedeur arrogant, or simply misunderstood?
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