Insider notes from Shrine Bowl Day 2: Latest on Shedeur Sanders to Browns hitting a roadblock, and where Joe Flacco could land in free agency

Day 2 of Shrine Bowl practices here in Frisco are finished, and the topic turned to the quarterbacks, both young and old. The other point of conversation was the final combine invitations, which are on their way out.

The overwhelming belief here at Shrine practice is that Cam Ward will be the first quarterback selected in the 2025 NFL Draft over Shedeur Sanders. Taking it one step further, people believe if the draft were held today, Ward would be selected by the Tennessee Titans with the first pick of the draft.

Ward had a marvelous season after transferring from Washington State to Miami. He was seamless in taking over the Hurricanes offense, and even though they missed out on the ACC title, it was a successful season for the program and quarterback. His rise up draft boards is similar to that of Jayden Daniels one year ago. Ward entered the season graded as a mid-Day 3 prospect, as did Daniels prior to his senior campaign, and is now poised to be a top-three selection at worst.

NCAA Football: Alamo Bowl-Brigham Young at Colorado - Source: Imagn

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2025 NFL Draft: Pessimism around Shedeur Sanders landing with Cleveland

Many here are concerned that Deion Sanders might be an anchor around the neck of his son Shedeur, which could cause him to slip in the draft. With Deion being as outspoken as he is, and having the bully pulpit he does as coach of Colorado, the concerns center on the thought that criticisms of the team or coaches who end up drafting Shedeur will be heard weekly on the occasions the rookie quarterback is slumping and not playing well.

Of course, those criticisms will be amplified in the city where Shedeur ends up playing, and it could turn into a circus. At the very least, it will be a topic debated at length by teams who want to draft the very talented signal caller.

The elder Sanders has said in the past that he will be influential as to which franchises he wants, and does not want, his son as well as Travis Hunter to play for as rookies. It is the opinion, and I stress opinion, here in Frisco that Deion would likely cross Cleveland off the list of teams he wants his son to play for and would do all he could to keep the Browns from drafting Shedeur. Such a move would mean Shedeur would be available for the New York Giants with the third pick.

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NFL Free Agency buzz: Latest on Joe Flacco

One veteran quarterback who has been talked about the past few days is Joe Flacco. I’ve been told by sources close to the ageless quarterback that he intends to play in 2025. After a 10-year career with the Baltimore Ravens that produced a Super Bowl victory, Flacco had success in recent seasons with the New York Jets, Cleveland Browns and Indianapolis Colts coming off the bench. The Browns have privately told people they made a mistake letting Flacco go, though they really had little choice with Deshaun Watson returning from injury.

I’m told to keep an eye on the San Francisco 49ers, Pittsburgh Steelers and New England Patriots as suitors for Flacco in the offseason, as all would look for a veteran backup.

While there won’t be tremendous quality at the top, the 2025 draft is expected to be deep, in large part due to so many fifth, sixth and even seventh-year seniors being eligible for the event. The extra year of eligibility the NCAA handed athletes due to Covid in 2020, as well as loosening recent rules that allowed players another year of competition, has caused a perfect storm. In the end, it means several players with draftable grades will end up not being selected, and an even greater number of those deserving a combine invitation will be on the outside looking in when the event gets underway in Indianapolis in less than a month.

People I’ve spoken with today mentioned Oregon State offensive lineman Gerad Christian-Lichtenhan as the perfect example. Few believe he has any chance of receiving a combine invitation, yet they think Christian-Lichtenhan will end up as a middle-round pick in the end.