Giants Country

Shedeur Sanders Has Most Upside, Says Veteran NFL Draft Analyst

Mel Kiper Jr believes Colorado QB Shedeur Sanders has the most upside among the quarterbacks in this year's draft class.

Patricia Traina

Nov 29, 2024; Boulder, Colorado, USA; Colorado Buffaloes quarterback Shedeur Sanders (2) before the game against the Oklahoma State Cowboys at Folsom Field.
Nov 29, 2024; Boulder, Colorado, USA; Colorado Buffaloes quarterback Shedeur Sanders (2) before the game against the Oklahoma State Cowboys at Folsom Field. / Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images
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ESPN draft analyst Mel Kiper, Jr. is a big fan of Colorado Shedeur Sanders’s game and hasn’t been afraid to let that be known.

Kiper, during a recent episode of ESPN’s First Take, believes that the former Colorado signal caller may actually turn out to be a better quarterback than Miami’s Cam Ward, the latter of whom more and more mock drafts written by those not named Kiper have as being the first quarterback off the board next month.  

“I’ve had him QB1 all along,” Kiper said during the program. “Love everything about the kid. He dealt with NFL conditions ... he survived hit after hit ... You can win big in the NFL going about your business like Shedeur Sanders does.”

Not surprisingly, in his latest mock draft, Kiper has the Giants selecting Sanders as the third overall pick, regardless of what happens with the team’s quest for a veteran quarterback. 

“In Sanders, New York would get a super accurate passer (74.0% completion rate in 2024) who is tough as nails,” Kiper wrote. 

“Despite taking the most sacks in the FBS over the past two seasons (94), he also tied for second in touchdown passes (64) during that time frame. Sanders could provide some quarterback stability to New York for the first time since Eli Manning was taking the snaps."

The Giants have certainly spent a lot of time watching Sanders’s game and getting to know him as a person, taking advantage of every opportunity to meet with Sanders.

That obviously includes the now publicized meeting at the Shrine Bowl practices, which Sanders attended but did not partake in the practices or the game. 

The team’s brass also reportedly met up with Sanders again at the combine, where again, Sanders declined to go through the drills, promising to work out at his upcoming pro day. 

Then, as revealed by Sanders himself, he had a top-30 draft visit planned with the Giants, one of the first teams he said he’d be taking, though he didn’t say when that visit would take place.

While all those signs indicate a strong interest, there is no guarantee that Sanders will rank among the top three prospects on the Giants’ draft board when it is completed.

But with the Giants’ quarterback spot still very much unsettled, passing on a chance to draft one is a huge risk ahead of a season that, if better results are not generated, could lead to a shakeup at the top.

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Patricia Traina
PATRICIA TRAINA

Patricia Traina has covered the New York Giants for 30+ seasons, and her work has appeared in multiple media outlets, including The Athletic, Forbes, Bleacher Report, and the Sports Illustrated media group. As a credentialed New York Giants press corps member, Patricia has also covered five Super Bowls (three featuring the Giants), the annual NFL draft, and the NFL Scouting Combine. She is the author of The Big 50: The Men and Moments that Made the New York Giants. In addition to her work with New York Giants On SI, Patricia hosts the Locked On Giants podcast. Patricia is also a member of the Pro Football Writers of America and the Football Writers Association of America.

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