ESPN's Jordan Reid recently released his latest 2025 NFL mock draft, and with the No. 1 pick, he has Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders landing with the Cleveland Browns.
Can the Buffs' stars really go No. 1 and 2?! @Jordan_Reid's full 2025 mock draft is live here https://t.co/AmQlzEhZp5 pic.twitter.com/8KMkVf4MB3
— ESPN (@espn) October 16, 2024
Reid included a brief explanation about why he currently believes Sanders will be the top player selected in next year's NFL Draft.
"Sanders — currently my QB1 for the class — is a poised pocket passer whose game centers around his fantastic ball placement and good decision-making. His 72.6 percent completion rate ranks sixth in the nation. Sanders would be an ideal fit for Kevin Stefanski's scheme, as he can operate from multiple platforms and has the pocket vision to immediately make an impact at the next level."
After an impressive junior season with the Buffaloes in 2023, Sanders is off to an even better start this year. Through six games this season, he's thrown 17 touchdown passes and just four interceptions while averaging 336.3 passing yards per matchup.
Colorado is coming off a tough three-point loss to Kansas State last weekend, but the young quarterback did just about everything he could to help lead his school to victory. In the game, Sanders completed 85 percent of his passes for 388 yards, three touchdowns and one interception, but it wasn't enough to get the Buffaloes the win.
Despite the loss last week, Colorado and its top quarterback still have a respectable 4-2 record. The Buffaloes will look to get things back on track on Saturday when they head out on the road to take on a 3-3 Arizona team.
If Sanders does end up getting drafted by the Browns in a few months, it will be interesting to see if he actually agrees to play for Cleveland or if he forces his way onto a different NFL team.
Earlier this year, Sanders' father and Buffaloes head coach, Deion Sanders, said during an appearance on the "Million Dollar Worth of Game" podcast that "there are certain cities that ain’t gonna happen" when it comes to where his son will play in the NFL.
He even mentioned what Eli Manning did before the 2004 NFL Draft as an example of what his son could potentially do next year in order to land with an ideal team.
In 2004, the San Diego Chargers had the No. 1 pick in the NFL Draft, and they wanted to select Manning, but he said he wouldn't play for them if they drafted him. Ultimately, the Chargers still selected him with the top pick in the 2004 draft, but then shortly after, they traded him to the New York Giants.
Given how disastrous the Browns have been during the last two decades, especially when it has come to quarterbacks, it wouldn't be surprising if Sanders actually did pull a Manning and refused to play for Cleveland if it drafted him with the No. 1 pick in 2025.
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