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Mel Kiper Jr. predicts draft-day slide for Shedeur Sanders in latest mock draft
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Mel Kiper Jr. released a brand new 2025 NFL mock draft on Tuesday morning and it features a surprising lack of quarterbacks at the top of the draft.
Kiper is still projecting Miami quarterback Cam Ward to be picked by Tennessee with the No. 1 overall pick. However, the longtime draft analyst is predicting Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders will slip all the way to No. 9 to the New Orleans Saints in the draft.
His reasoning? Kiper believes there are few fits in the top-10 for Sanders if the Giants pass on him at No. 3 overall. Here’s an excerpt of his analysis:
If Sanders doesn’t go to the Giants, there aren’t many clear landing spots for him in the top 10 … and he could slide. I could see a team trading up for him — maybe even the Saints, who have nine picks — but most of these rosters are already set at quarterback. This is a great outcome for New Orleans, though. I like this match a lot.
Sanders had a great senior season with the Buffs. He led the Big 12 in numerous statistical categories as he threw for 4,134 yards and 37 touchdowns. He’s been mocked as high as No. 2 overall to the Cleveland Browns by some analysts throughout the pre-draft process.
Kiper later clarified that Sanders is his personal top-ranked quarterback in this class, so this drop to No. 9 in his mock is more of a reflection of what he’s hearing from NFL teams as the draft approaches.
The betting markets seem to agree with Kiper’s analysis, at least to some extent. Per BetMGM, Sanders is currently +200 to be a top-5 pick in the draft.
The 2025 NFL Draft will begin on April 24 in Green Bay.
Spenser is a news editor for Saturday Down South and covers college football across all Saturday Football brands.
