Shedeur Sanders: "Better than Jaxson Dart" - NFL analyst delivers “100%” verdict on Shedeur Sanders’ draft projection

NFL mock draft season is in full swing, and all eyes are on the quarterback position entering this year's draft. Cam Ward and Shedeur Sanders are widely projected as the top two quarterbacks in this year's draft, but Jaxson Dart has been the draft's top riser at this point of the pre-draft process.

Dart has immensely elevated his draft stock with consistent performances at both the Senior Bowl and NFL Combine. As he has risen up big boards, many have argued he is better than Colorado product Shedeur Sanders.

Sanders' stock has stabilized after concerning reports regarding his pre-draft meetings, but insiders and analysts alike have made their case in favor of Dart. NBC analyst Chris Simms argued in favor of Sanders, picking him over Dart in his 2025 NFL draft quarterback rankings.

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"I look at Shedeur Sanders, and I certainly do think he is a first-round quarterback. I don't know if I want to take him at number three or at number six, but he is a first-round quarterback. I'm just trying to, kind of, quiet the murmurs out there. And yes, I like him better than Jaxson Dart, 100%." [02:35]

Mel Kiper picks Shedeur Sanders over Cam Ward

The discussion between Shedeur Sanders and Cam Ward has been the talk of the NFL draft so far this offseason. Ward is projected to be selected with one of the top three picks in the draft, while Sanders' status in contention for the top pick in the draft has seemingly dwindled.

Still, as Chris Simms proved, there are plenty of Sanders believers out there. NFL draft expert Mel Kiper is one of them. On Tuesday's episode of "First Take" on ESPN, Kiper picked Sanders to have a superior NFL career to Cam Ward.

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"I'm going to go Shedeur Sanders. I've had him at QB1 all along, really since last year. He dealt with NFL conditions ... He survived hit after hit, and how he did it, I don't know."

Kiper also ranked Sanders ahead of Ward in his latest NFL mock draft earlier this week.

About the author

Ethen Hutton is an analyst who works for Sportskeeda, covering College Football, the NFL, the NBA and the WNBA. Ethen graduated high school with academic and athletic honors and is a member of the National High School Honors Society. After a gap year, Ethen jumped into sports writing and has over two years of experience in the field.

Ethen was raised in Ohio and is a Cleveland Cavaliers fan. His favorite all-time player is Pete Maravich as his shooting and ball-handling abilities were way ahead of his time. His favorite player in today’s NBA is Nikola Jokic due to his fascinating skillset as a big man.

Ethen loves the storylines around the NBA and the chaos that the offseason and trade deadlines bring. He enjoys technical deep dives with strong statistical analysis as well as stories where he's able to take a stance as an analyst. He is very prideful in the correctness of his work and will do extensive research to ensure all facts and evidence are 100% accurate.

When not working, Ethen enjoys recording his sports podcast, Wide Right. He is also a very invested fantasy football player.

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Edited by Nicolaas Ackermann