Joel Klatt explains why Shedeur Sanders falling in the draft could be beneficial

Former Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders‘ draft stock has become a topic of debate in recent weeks. Whether he’ll be a top five draft pick, or slide down the first round remains to be seen with just two weeks left until the 2025 NFL Draft.

According to Fox Sports analyst Joel Klatt, falling in the first round might not be the worst thing for Sanders. He explained why during a recent appearance on First Things First.

“I would argue that fit is better than draft position for a quarterback,” Klatt said. “If you can tell me that you’re going to go to a more stable organization that doesn’t have to have you play at a high level right away — that is more beneficial for any quarterback. Let’s place that on Shedeur. Would he like to get drafted high? Yes, obviously. There are a lot of things that would be advantageous about that, in particular from a financial perspective.

“However, for the longevity of his career and for the success of his career moving forward, would it maybe be better if he slid to an organization that was really good in the front office, knew what they were doing as far as roster construction, and could give him some semblance of structure to where he didn’t have to be the reason why they were good right away? The answer is yes.”

On Saturday, ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler revealed that the Cleveland Browns have Sanders on their “short list” of prospects, but didn’t rule out the potential of a slide down the first round. However, Fowler reiterated that he does believe Sanders will be off the board by the end of the first round. He didn’t rule out the New York Giants pulling the trigger on the former Colorado QB despite signing Russell Wilson in free agency, either.

This comes after Sanders threw in front of NFL scouts in Boulder on Friday, throwing to Heisman Trophy winner Travis Hunter. Videos of his throwing session have been revealed and reports have since raved over his performance. Whether this cements him as a top-five pick, however, remains to be seen.

Moreover, his overall body of work at the college level speaks for itself. As a senior in 2024, Sanders threw for a career-best 4,134 yards on an impressive 74% completion percentage to go along with 37 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. Spending the last two seasons playing for the Buffaloes, he scored 72 total touchdowns.

All told, Sanders passed for 14,318 yards and 134 touchdowns. His 10 interceptions in 2024 were a career-high, so he isn’t known for turning the ball over through the air.

The 2025 NFL Draft is set to be held from Thursday, April 24 through Saturday, April 26 in Green Bay, Wisconsin. If Fowler’s report pans out, Sanders won’t have to wait long to hear his name.