NFL Evaluator: Shedeur Sanders Would’ve Gone No. 1 Overall in the 2024 NFL Draft
When the 2024 NFL Draft started just under two weeks ago, there was no question that the Chicago Bears would take USC quarterback Caleb Williams with the No. 1 overall pick.
Williams is viewed by many as a generational talent with his ability to extend plays, make off-script throws, and use his elite athleticism to do things that most quarterbacks simply can’t. In short, the Bears drafted him because there’s a chance that he could be the next Patrick Mahomes.
However, at least one NFL talent evaluator says that the Bears’ decision could’ve been much more difficult had another player decided to enter the 2024 draft class.
In recent interview with The Washington Post, an NFL evaluator says the Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders would’ve been his No. 1 overall pick in the draft had he come out in this class.
He was [the top QB] for me if he came out this year,” a longtime NFL evaluator told The Washington Post. “You have to manage him a little differently, and Deion is going to be heavily involved … so you have to be prepared to deal with that bulls—. But I love watching that kid play. He’s a born winner.”
An NFL general manager reinforced the idea that he would’ve been in the conversation by saying that Sanders would’ve been “up there” with Williams and Jayden Daniels, the No. 1 and No. 2 picks.
“Absolutely, he was a first-round pick. Absolutely. There would have been seven [taken in the first round]. We obviously didn’t do as much work on him as the other quarterbacks once he announced he wasn’t coming out, but he would have been in the top three [quarterbacks] for us this year, I think, had he gone through the entire process. He probably would have been up there with Williams and Daniels.”
Several others also confirmed that Sanders would’ve easily been a first-round pick, which poses the question: Is Sanders going with the 2025 No. 1 overall pick already locked in? This time last year, Caleb Williams was getting similar hype, so the precedent is there.
If Sanders has a good season with the Buffaloes, there’s a great chance he’ll end up going first overall. So, let the #TankForSanders tweets start rolling.
