Louis Riddick: Shedeur Sanders over Cam Ward would be 'shocking' in NFL Draft

ESPN’s Louis Riddick would be “shocked” if Shedeur Sanders passes Cam Ward as the top quarterback in this year’s NFL Draft.

The two are considered the top two signal callers in this draft class, but Ward’s been projected as the top QB and even the No. 1 overall pick. Currently, the Tennessee Titans hold the top selection with whispers the New York Giants or Cleveland Browns could trade up to get their guy.

Ward is likely gone first, which means Sanders would remain on the board, at least after the No. 1 pick. Anything else happening would be quite stunning, as Riddick put it.

“It would be shocking and look I love Shedeur, love his father, love everything that they accomplished at both Jackson and in Colorado,” Riddick said on Get Up. “But I will tell you this. Look, I just think Cam Ward is uniquely qualified to be a franchise quarterback, both in terms of his mental makeup, his story, what he has been through, the resilience that he has shown.

“And then let’s just get to the football part. You want to talk about a guy who has a lot of mental horsepower, who has the quickest release in college football, who can see the entire field and touch the entire field as well or better than any quarterback in this draft. And (he is someone) who did it at a consistently high level, as measured by every metric, whether it be in the pocket, outside the pocket, against pressure, clean pocket. He aced them all this year. This is his time.”

Ward had the best season of his career in Miami while Sanders also progressively got better at Colorado. Both QBs set career highs in passing in 2024.

Ward very well might be the top selection in the draft and at least the top quarterback taken, but Sanders is quite confident in his abilities.

He told all the teams across the league that it’s a no-brainer to pick him.

“If you have the franchise traits then why wouldn’t a franchise pick me? It’s like a cheat code,” Sanders said.

Sanders approaches everything like a CEO and is a standup citizen, according to Hall of Famer Cris Carter said. He receiver relayed a story about Sanders during the national championship game between Ohio State and Notre Dame.

“One thing I’m gonna say about Shedeur too, this is what a lot of young people don’t realize,” Carter said on Up and Adams. “When I was at the National Championship, Notre Dame versus Ohio State, I was working for a company that, AT&T, that he already has a deal, and he didn’t know that I was going to be getting in the car with his driver right after him that had been driving him and his brother around for two days. 

“So the thing that the driver said, as far as the way he conducts his business, the way he takes care of himself, the way he bosses his brother around to make sure that he’s not late, because he could do some things that aren’t as timely as Shedeur. So (he’s a) true CEO, this is something I told Deion. I told Deion Sanders, Jr. the guy behind the media, that you don’t know who’s watching.”