NFL insider: Shedeur Sanders stock in 'precarious spot,' ahead of 2025 NFL Draft

It has long since been expected that Shedeur Sanders would be one of the first quarterbacks taken in the 2025 NFL Draft. Whether he’s the first, second, or even the third QB selected is now being called into question, however.

ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reports that while it appears Sanders will be a first-round draft pick later this month — where he may land appears less than certain at this point. Fowler revealed where Sanders stands on some team’s draft boards heading into the final stages of draft prep.

“If we look at the Browns, I know Cleveland is considering Shedeur Sanders on their short list of players in contention for that second pick,” Fowler revealed during SportsCenter on Sunday morning. “They had a good dinner with Shedeur the other night. They think he’s a stud, that he’s got charisma, he’s a dynamic personality. They believe he’s a leader — all those things. But they’ve also been heavily linked to Abdul Carter.

“They’ve spent a lot of time with him. So, the feeling around the league is they could go with a position player. Giants at three could go position player. That leaves [Sanders] in a precarious spot. Where does he fall? Teams are trying to sort of figure that out, but he will certainly go in the first round, no doubt.”

Fowler pondered whether or not Sanders’ potential first-round slide may be attributed to the rise of former Ole Miss QB Jaxson Dart since his performance all week at the Reese’s Senior Bowl in February. Some teams might even have Dart higher on their draft boards than Sanders at the moment, he revealed.

Sanders threw in front of NFL scouts in Boulder on Friday, throwing to Heisman Trophy winner Travis Hunter. Videos of his throwing session have been revealed and reports have since raved over his performance. Whether this cements him as a top-five pick, however, remains to be seen.

Moreover, his overall body of work at the college level speaks for itself. As a senior in 2024, Sanders threw for a career-best 4,134 yards on an impressive 74% completion percentage to go along with 37 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. Spending the last two seasons playing for the Buffaloes, he scored 72 total touchdowns.

All told, Sanders passed for 14,318 yards and 134 touchdowns. His 10 interceptions in 2024 were a career-high, so he isn’t known for turning the ball over through the air.

The 2025 NFL Draft is set to be held from Thursday, April 24 through Saturday, April 26 in Green Bay, Wisconsin. If Fowler’s report pans out, Sanders won’t have to wait long to hear his name.