Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders is quickly making his way up to the top of the 2024 NFL Draft Board of Mel Kiper.
The legendary NFL Draft analyst has moved the former Jackson State quarterback to no. 3 at his position on his 2023 draft board he revealed on Monday Blitz. The only two quarterbacks in front of him are USC’s Caleb Williams and North Carolina’s Drake Maye.
“It was a wait-and-see, coming from Jackson State to Colorado, how would Shedeur Sanders, how would his team adapt, how would they perform?” Kiper said. “They’ve been unbelievable.”
While his blazing start at Colorado has been a catalyst for his move up, Kiper cited the work he did the past two seasons at Jackson State as evidence of some traits that pro scouts will notice.
“Shedeur Sanders, to me right now, is a guaranteed high first-round pick. I think when you look at the way he’s played at Colorado, in this Sean Lewis offense, the accuracy has been unbelievable. He was at 68 percent at Jackson State those two years. He’s at 77.5 [percent at Colorado]. Hasn’t thrown an interception. He had nine rushing touchdowns in two years at Jackson State. He can roll right or left. He can make accurate throws. He throws a great ball. He’s unflappable. He looks like he’s in control at all times. You don’t know if they’re up or down, how they’re performing. It doesn’t matter.”
Sanders, of course, is just a junior on the field. He could opt to stay another year at Colorado after the 2023 season. If he does, Kiper sees him as the odds-on favorite for top pick in the 2025 NFL Draft.
“If he stays at Colorado, we’ll be talking about him next summer like we’re talking about Caleb Williams right now — No. 1 pick guaranteed,” Kiper said. “So he’s got a decision to make. We’ve gotta be excited with everything we’ve seen right now, with not only this football team, but particularly Shedeur Sanders. What a quarterback he is.”