Every quarterback in the 2025 class is hoping to be selected with the No. 1 pick in the NFL Draft. In actuality, it seems as if Miami quarterback Cam Ward has earned that honor; although the draft is always unpredictable.
If one quarterback were to unseat Ward, it would be Shedeur Sanders. He had a prolific career at Colorado, playing under the spotlight of head coach and his father Deion Sanders. And while the quarterback’s draft stock has been all over the place since Ward’s emergence, Sanders is widely considered the QB2 in 2025.
As teams in the top half of the draft – or a franchise willing to trade up – ponders selecting Sanders, they have now received a warning from draft insider Todd McShay. He compared the quarterback to current Chicago Bears starter Caleb Williams. But for all the wrong reasons, saying they both play a brand of, ‘hero ball.’
“Caleb Williams is the one that scares people,” McShay said on Wednesday’s The McShay Show. “Because as a rookie, all the stuff that we were worried about and the people who were coming out and saying ‘I’m not sold on Caleb,’ it’s the hero ball, it’s the holding onto the ball too long, drifting, not taking the easy money, going for broke. And I see a lot of that in Shedeur’s tape. Now is it because of the protection? Or is it because that’s how he plays ball?”
Caleb Williams’ rocky rookie season with Chicago Bears
Williams was sacked a league-high 68 times as a rookie. Now a lot of that was the offensive line’s problem, there’s a reason the Bears brought in three new starters during free agency. However, too often would Williams hold onto the ball too long.
Perhaps it was the fact that Chicago had seemingly endless turnover on the coaching staff. Or it could’ve simply been Williams struggling to fully acclimate to the NFL. But as fans watched Jayden Daniels become a star with the Washington Commanders, Williams’ rookie season fell flat.
It’s not like his numbers were terrible. The quarterback still completed 62.5 percent of his passes for 3,541 yards, 20 touchdowns and six interceptions. Williams still had more passing yards than any of Justin Fields’ years as the starting quarterback. Williams didn’t do anything truly to disrupt his place as the franchise cornerstone.
But too often did Williams try to make the big play, succumbing to a sack. There will surely be more opportunities for offensive explosion under head coach Ben Johnson. But his quarterback must play with confidence and poise to reach his No. 1 pick ceiling.
What Shedeur Sanders brings to NFL
Sanders was under a microscope all season as Colorado’s program has become a media darling during his and his father’s tenure. Because of that, the quarterback has dealt with plenty of scrutiny. Still, whoever selects Sanders is expecting him to become the team’s quarterback of the future.
The QB spent two years at Colorado, appearing in 24 games. He completed 71.8 percent of his passes for 7.364 yards, 64 touchdowns and 13 interceptions. Sanders holds the all-time college football completion percentage record.
During his rookie season, the quarterback set the Big 12 ablaze. He led the conference in completion percentage (74), passing yards (4,134) and touchdown passes (37). Sanders was named the Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year while winning the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award.
There were at times where Sanders’ play got a bit erratic. However, at times, he had to manually will Colorado’s offense. As evident by his Big 12-leading 477 passing attempts, the quarterback was the entire show for the Buffaloes; for better or worse. Despite that, Sanders still showcased his accuracy while only throwing 10 interceptions.
There is a reason Ward has surpassed Sanders on most draft boards. However, the quarterback brings the playmaking ability NFL franchises are looking for. And if he has the rise the Bears are expecting from Williams in 2025, Sanders would be in a good spot to start his NFL journey.
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