NFL Draft expert guarantees where Shedeur Sanders will be picked

It only took a few moments to recognize that Shedeur Sanders is the best quarterback that the Colorado Buffaloes have had in quite a while, but he might go down as the best to ever wear black and gold.

Noe ESPN’s NFL Draft expert Mel Kiper Jr. has already put the junior third in his 2024 ranking behind Caleb Williams and Drake Maye. But he said on Monday Blitz this week that if Sanders spent two seasons at Colorado and waited until his senior year to enter the NFL, he would be the No. 1 pick.

“Shedeur Sanders, to me right now, is a guaranteed high first-round pick. I think when you look at the way he’s played at Colorado, in this Sean Lewis offense, the accuracy has been unbelievable,” Kiper said. “He was at 68 percent at Jackson State those two years. He’s at 77.5 [percent at Colorado]. Hasn’t thrown an interception. He had nine rushing touchdowns in two years at Jackson State. He can roll right or left. He can make accurate throws. He throws a great ball. He’s unflappable. He looks like he’s in control at all times. You don’t know if they’re up or down, how they’re performing. It doesn’t matter.”

Sanders went viral after the rivalry matchup with the Cornhuskers for shoving a watch in the face of his opponents who stood on the Buffaloes logo—and then dazzling to a big win. The gunslinger has thrown 178 passes without a pick, going back to Jackson State. On the season the young Sanders, playing for his father, is 69-f0r-89 with 903 yards and six touchdowns through two games.

“If he stays at Colorado, we’ll be talking about him next summer like we’re talking about Caleb Williams right now – No. 1 pick guaranteed,” Kiper said. “So he’s got a decision to make. We’ve gotta be excited with everything we’ve seen right now, with not only this football team, but particularly Shedeur Sanders. What a quarterback he is.”

Williams won the Heisman Trophy last year for his 4,537-yard, 42-touchdown season in leading the Trojans to the Cotton Bowl on an 11-3 record. Williams is the heavy favorite at +375 to repeat as college football’s top player. But Sanders is already tied for sixth-best odds at +1400 to get the trophy his dad, Deion Sanders, only finished eighth for in 1988.

Heisman or not, the young Sanders is likely already a first-round pick after just two games at Colorado and apparently is the odds-on favorite to be No. 1 overall in 2025. Kordell Stewart, picked at No. 60 in 1995, was the highest picked CU QB of all-time—while Bo Matthews, picked No. 2 overall in 1974 is the highest Buffs pick of all-time.

***