The team who drafts Shedeur Sanders in the 2025 NFL Draft might not be getting a slam-dunk first-round prospect. The year to get a quarterback was clearly in the 2024 NFL Draft. There were six first-round QBs taken, and four of them do appear to be franchise players. The verdict is still out on guys like JJ McCarthy and Michael Penix Jr, but four franchise QBs coming from one NFL Draft is almost historic.
The 2025 NFL Draft may truly have only one first-round QB in Cam Ward from Miami. Ward is a dual-threat passer who definitely needs to be polished and developed. The other big QB name in the NFL Draft is Shedeur Sanders, the flashy but well-rounded prospect from Colorado.
The big issues with Sanders, at least from what I have been able to gather, is the lack of high-end arm talent and overall lack of high-end athleticism. NFL insider Benjamin Allbright recently gave a quite horrific NFL comparison for Sanders:
I think he compares favorably to Teddy Bridgewater. A high football IQ quarterback, who doesn’t have the strongest arm.
— Benjamin Allbright (@AllbrightNFL) February 21, 2025
Has some athleticism, but doesn’t really use it for picking up yardage, will buy time. Similar size similar build. https://t.co/Hv81nDoXm1
I am not saying that Teddy Bridgewater is a bad comparison from Allbright, but if that is who Shedeur Sanders becomes in the NFL, what would be the point in drafting him anywhere in the first round? Bridgewater never found his footing as a franchise QB in the NFL. He did suffer a devastating injury earlier in his career and bounced back as a low-end starter for some time.
His best stretch of play came across the 2019-2021 NFL seasons with the New Orleans Saints, Carolina Panthers, and Denver Broncos. Across those three seasons, which spanned 38 games, he was credited with a 16-18 record, throwing for 42 touchdowns, 20 interceptions, and a 94.4 passer rating. Bridgewater added 8,169 yards and 215 yards per game.
He only started one entire season across his career, and during this three year stretch, Teddy Bridgewater was a backup in 2019 and the full-time starter for his teams in 2020 and 2021, but he played in 15 games in 2020 and 14 in 2021.
In terms of availability, Bridgewater was not the most consistent player. Shedeur Sanders could end up being the next Teddy Bridgwater - a very high floor, low ceiling player. Right now, many mocks across the NFL landscape have Sanders landing third overall to the New York Giants. Given how dysfunctional and poorly-run the Giants are, it might not be likely that Sanders even hits the level of Bridgewater during his NFL peak.
And this comparison from Ben Allbright is overall pretty accurate if you ask me. You have to wonder what NFL front offices truly think about the QB from Colorado - he could be a great value in the second round, but is his last name doing some heavy-lifting here? There may be some 'buyers beware' with Shedeur Sanders.
Is he the NFL's next Teddy Bridgewater?