Where Will Shedeur Sanders Land in the Draft?

The 2025 NFL Draft is not quite like last year’s event when Caleb Williams, Jayden Daniels, Drake Maye, Michael Penix Jr, J.J. McCarthy, and Bo Nix flew off the board in Round 1.

Where Will Shedeur Sanders Land in the Draft?

This year’s crop is highlighted by Cam Ward (Miami) and Shedeur Sanders (Colorado) at quarterback, and then that might be it until Jaxson Dart (Ole Miss) and Jalen Milroe (Alabama) hear their names called in Round 2 or later.

Sanders, the son of Hall of Famer Deion Sanders, will be selected in the Top 10, barring something funky, and these are his top five landing spots, ranked in ascending order (No. 1 = most likely destination)

5. New York Jets

2025 QB1 Plan without Sanders:
Tyrod Taylor | Jordan Travis

The Jets live in awkward QB1 territory this offseason, as the seventh overall pick won’t fetch them Sanders unless he oddly falls on draft night. More realistically, New York could sign a free agent like Justin Fields and pair him with a non-1st-Round passer like Jalen Milroe.

However, there’s a small chance that the Jets trade up the board for Sanders, so they must be included at No. 5 on this list. Remember — new head coach Aaron Glenn just came from a team that revitalizes itself without drafting a Round 1 quarterback. He might do the same in New York.

4. Tennessee Titans

2025 QB1 Plan without Sanders:
Will Levis

Why are the Titans so low on this list for Sanders? Simple — they’ll probably draft Cam Ward, and that’ll be that. Doing otherwise would make it way too complicated.

Contrarily, but similar to the New England Patriots draft debate last year, Tennessee’s brass must ask itself if it wants to choose the quarterback first — the Patriots said yes with Drake Maye — or trade down to accumulate mounds of capital. The Titans could also select EDGE rusher Abdul Carter at No. 1.

On the whole, Tennessee does not feel like an ideal landing spot for Sanders and his sizable persona.

3. Las Vegas Raiders

2025 QB1 Plan without Sanders:
Aidan O’Connell

The Raiders are the frontrunner to sign free-agent quarterback Sam Darnold in nine days, which might pump the brakes on a trade up for Sanders.

Before free agency or the draft, and dating back to last season, Las Vegas showcased the very worst quarterback situation in the business, electing to embark on the 2024 campaign with a Gardner Minshew, Aidan O’Connell, and Desmond Ridder sandwich. Everyone knew that the trio would flop epically — and it did.

Still, the Raiders, with Tom Brady in the mix, could trade up for Sanders or grab him if he tumbled.

2. New York Giants

2025 QB1 Plan without Sanders:
Tommy DeVito

Down to the nitty-gritty, the Giants feel like a sensible landing spot for Sanders because they can sell it rather easily to an impatient fanbase: “We got Deion’s boy.”

The selection would afford general manager Joe Schoen and head coach Brian Daboll much-needed job security, and Sanders would begin his career inside the largest media market in the world. This can work.

It’s also worth nothing that the recent Aaron Rodgers rumors to the Giants would not necessarily cancel the Sanders interest. New York can do both.

1. Cleveland Browns

2025 QB1 Plan without Sanders:
Dorian Thompson-Robinson

Why the Browns at No. 1? They have the draft pick for it. General manager Andrew Berry can make it elementary, drafting Sanders without any trade or drama.

Cleveland needs a face of the franchise to help remove the rotten stench of Deshaun Watson’s contract + injury, and Sanders could assist better than most.

Solely because they possess the No. 2 pick, Cleveland leads the way in the Sanders Sweepstakes.

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Dustin Baker is a political scientist who graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2007. Subscribe to his daily YouTube Channel, VikesNow. The show features guests, analysis, and opinion on all things related to the Minnesota Vikings, with 4-7 episodes per week. His NFL obsession dates back to 1989. Listed guilty pleasures: Peanut Butter Ice Cream, ‘The Sopranos,’ Basset Hounds, and The Doors (the band). He follows the NBA as closely as the NFL. 

All statistics provided by Pro Football Reference / Stathead; all contractual information provided by OverTheCap.com.