College Football

2025 NFL Draft: Is Colorado's Shedeur Sanders already the clear top QB prospect?

Updated Oct. 17, 2024 6:55 p.m. ET

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In recent years, there's typically been a quarterback or two that have established themselves as the best or one of the best prospects at their position for the ensuing NFL Draft. Caleb Williams entered the 2023 season as a clear favorite to be the No. 1 overall pick in 2024 while Bryce Young and C.J. Stroud were battling for that honor during the 2022 season, eventually going Nos. 1 and 2 in the 2023 NFL Draft.

As the 2024 college football season reaches its halfway point, there doesn't appear to be a similar consensus formed among the quarterback prospects for the 2025 NFL Draft. However, Colin Cowherd believes there's one quarterback who's already emerged from the pack: Colorado's Shedeur Sanders. 

"I think it's pretty obvious: That's the No. 1 pick," Cowherd said of how he felt watching Sanders in Colorado's loss to Kansas State last Saturday.

While Sanders wasn't able to get the win, he had another impressive performance in Week 7. He completed 34 of 40 passes for 388 yards, three touchdowns and an interception against the Wildcats. He's completed 72.6% of his passes for 2,018 yards, 17 touchdowns and four interceptions this season.

As Sanders is in the midst of another impressive campaign, Cowherd thinks his play, along with concerns he has about the other top quarterback prospects in the draft, make Sanders the top quarterback in the 2025 NFL Draft.

"First of all, Quin Ewers, like him, [but he's] hurt again, don't love that," Cowherd said. "Cam Ward, feels small. I've fallen for [that] before. Shedeur Sanders, same height, I never think about his height. It may not [make sense], but when I look at Shedeur Sanders — [Patrick] Mahomes and Shedeur Sanders are the same size. They play big. I think [Ward] comes across as a mover and a playmaker. I think Shedeur Sanders is easily the best quarterback in college. I think he's separated [himself from the rest]. … Carson Beck without Brock Bowers is not the same."

Cowherd isn't alone in thinking that Sanders is the top quarterback prospect in the 2025 NFL Draft. FOX Sports NFL Draft expert Rob Rang has Sanders as the first quarterback being selected in his most recent mock draft. He has the Las Vegas Raiders selecting Sanders with the fourth overall pick.

[Read more: 2025 NFL mock draft: Ashton Jeanty surges up board, Travis Hunter remains No. 1]

FOX Sports lead college football analyst Joel Klatt is also a fan of Sanders', thinking he can be the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. 

"I think Shedeur Sanders is such a better player than he gets credit for because everybody loves to hate on Colorado, Shedeur Sanders and his dad," Klatt said on "The Herd." "He didn't have his two best receivers and they're going against Kansas State and they have a lead with two minutes to go. I felt like the coaching staff for Colorado fumbled the game at the end. 

"He's fabulous. He's accurate. He's tough — you talk about tough, there's no one in the last two years in college football who's been hit more than Shedeur Sanders and he gets right back up. He continues to stand in the face of pressure and throw dimes. I love that about him. He's an anticipatory thrower. He's smart. He understands defensive structure. His game translates."

Is Shedeur Sanders the best QB in College Football?

However, Klatt disagreed with Cowherd's notion that Sanders has "separated" himself from the rest of the quarterback prospects. He believes that Ward has been "sensational" enough to possibly be the first quarterback taken in next year's draft while poinitng out a couple of flaws in Sanders' game. 

"[Sheduer's] got to quit holding onto the football," Klatt said. "He's allergic to incompletions, so he doesn't want to throw the football away. You've got to throw the football away, particularly at the next level, or you're going to get hurt. The next thing is, he's got this — and it's happened twice this year — weird, ‘I'm going to take the fade' and it's not the situation to throw the fade.

"Fourth-and-6 on Saturday night against Kansas State, they've got to drive down and kick a field and he throws a fade. Dude, you got blitzed from the wide side of the field, you've got an in-breaking route that's got inside leverage on the support defender. Throw the in-breaking route!"

Sanders has been sacked more than any other quarterback since he transferred to Colorado in 2023. He was brought down for 52 sacks last year and has been sacked 23 times this season, just one short for the most in the nation. 

As for Ward, Klatt didn't touch on why he's a big fan of his during his appearance on "The Herd." But he's raved about Miami's quarterback for much of the season on "The Joel Klatt Show," recently ranking him third on his Heisman ballot ahead of any other quarterback. Ward has thrown for 2,219 yards, 20 touchdowns and five interceptions this season to go with 11 rushing yards and three rushing touchdowns. 

Still, Klatt believes Sanders is a strong quarterback prospect and might be the first player whose name is called at the NFL Draft next April. 

"There are things that frustrate me about Shedeur, namely those decisions in critical moments and that he holds the football," Klatt said. "But everything else, this guy is fabulous. He's accurate, he's tough. He absolutely could be the first pick in the draft."

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