Recent mock drafts from The Athletic and ESPN suggest that Shedeur Sanders of the Colorado Buffaloes will not be the 2025 NFL Draft’s No. 1 pick. Instead, Miami Hurricanes standout Cam Ward is projected to be the first quarterback chosen on April 24.
Sanders recently spoke with ESPN’s Kevin Clark (h/t Turron Davenport) on Super Bowl Radio Row about not going to the Tennessee Titans or to a different team that holds the draft’s first choice a couple of months down the road.
“Why would I be mad? These are good problems to have,” Sanders explained. “You could be in a way worse situation. Being No. 1 doesn’t really matter to me. It’s all about fit.”
Updated mock drafts link the Titans with Penn State pass-rusher Abdul Carter. Meanwhile, whispers have suggested that individuals within the Cleveland Browns are worried Colorado head coach Deion Sanders, Shedeur’s father, could either tell Cleveland not to draft his son or share that he “will want to be the next coach of the Browns” if the franchise picks Shedeur and then parts ways with Kevin Stefanski during or after the 2025 season.
Sanders has flirted with the New York Giants since late 2024 and seemingly has fans in Giants general manager Joe Schoen and head coach Brian Daboll. However, mock drafts routinely have the Giants grabbing Ward over Sanders if both signal-callers are available for Big Blue at pick No. 3.
“It’s cool that we’re close because, if we wasn’t, they would try to pin us against each other,” Sanders said about his relationship with Ward. “A lot of stuff we say, we just be playing. But people try to take things and put it out of context.”
Giants wide receiver Malik Nabers hinted during Super Bowl week he’d be fine with catching passes thrown by either Sanders or Ward. With that said, New York and the Browns are both expected to sign veteran bridge quarterbacks in March who could start over a rookie this coming fall.
How Sanders reacts to such a scenario possibly playing out during upcoming meetings with teams could impact when he’s drafted on the final Thursday of April.
