Nick Saban defends Shedeur Sanders, praises accuracy ahead of 2025 NFL Draft

Shedeur Sanders is one of the more interesting prospects in the 2024 NFL Draft. Determining where he may land on Thursday has been one of the more widely discussed topics of conversation heading into the first round.

Sanders has won over one man in particular — legendary college football coach Nick Saban. Saban revealed that he’s a fan of the quarterback from Colorado during ESPN College GameDay ahead of the 2025 NFL Draft.

“I do think I’m a Shedeur fan,” Saban admitted. “Because I think he played in a little different style in college because of the players around him, he had to scramble more. But when he can drop, set his feet, and throw on time he’s the most accurate guy from the quarterback position as anyone.”

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.

Sanders averaged a 69.95% completion percentage during his career. 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.

Before Colorado, Sanders played two seasons for Jackson State, where he threw for an impressive 70 touchdowns compared to 14 interceptions. All four seasons of his college career were played under his head coach and father, NFL Hall of Famer Deion Sanders.

Sanders’ draft stock has been put in question in the leadup to the 2025 NFL Draft. Some analysts have him going top-three, and others have him sliding down the first round, and even into early day two.

To Nebraska head coach Matt Rhule, who has played against Sanders in consecutive years at Colorado, he revealed to ESPN’s Pete Thamel that the New York Giants should pull the trigger on Sanders with the third overall pick. Despite signing both Russell Wilson and Jameis Winston earlier this offseason, perhaps selecting Sanders could be viewed as a long-term solution for the franchise under center.

It remains to be seen if the Giants will pull the trigger on Sanders at third overall. What is for sure is that the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft is set for 8 p.m. ET with the Tennessee Titans making the first overall selection. The NFL’s annual event will air live on both ESPN and the NFL Network.