Louis Riddick comes to Shedeur Sanders' defense, lays out plan for teams to maximize QB's potential - "Kid had no offensive line"

Shedeur Sanders has been a favorite target of criticism across the league, with detractors using a variety of reasons ranging from his questionable on-field talent to his purported off-field arrogance and sense of entitlement. But he also has his fare share of defenders, and one emerged on Friday.

On Rich Eisen's eponymous show, former safety-turned ESPN analyst Louis Riddick said that he considered the Colorado Buffaloes' 134-TD star quarterback "a franchise player" with the right development strategy (starts at 2:09):

"It would be great again to follow the blueprint - draft him, have the quarterback room set up to where he can get his bearings, get settled in Year 1, then take off in Year 2. ... He has the mental horsepower, plenty of arm strength, mobility, toughness."

He then addressed Shedeur Sanders' detractors by listing more attributes:

"Kid had no offensive line (in) his first year. He was getting his head beat in. They had no running game.

"He is deadly accurate, extremely smart, he can push the ball down the field, and he's uniquely equipped to deal with all the other responsibilities a franchise quarterback is going to have to deal with. ... He's been raised the right way by his father. (Deion)."

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Shedeur Sanders will be Giants' "secret target" in 2025 Draft, says insider

Over the past few weeks, discourse on Shedeur Sanders has ranged from "he's a top-3 pick" to "his stock has been falling over the days". The latter notion hasn't been helped by recent developments in the quarterback landscape.

The Las Vegas Raiders, once considered a logical destination, given the prospect's ties with Tom Brady, have traded for Geno Smith. The New York Giants, meanwhile, have had discussions with Russell Wilson, Aaron Rodgers and even Joe Flacco.

However, Sportsnaut's Jason Leach believes Big Blue's HC/GM tandem of Brian Daboll and Joe Schoen have a hidden interest in Shedeur Sanders:

"Both the (Tennessee) Titans and Cleveland Browns do not have stability at quarterback. Nobody would be surprised if they take Ward and Sanders, respectively. However, (they) are (also) high on Abdul Carter and Travis Hunter.

"This could prompt another team to potentially offer more draft compensation than the Giants in a trade-up. But if other teams feel New York is not high on Sanders, they may elect not to try and trade up, instead letting the draft play out and hoping Sanders falls to them."

One precedent Leach mentions is the case of Kayvon Thibodeaux. In 2022, Schoen had publicly said that he wasn't interested in the linebacker/edge rusher - only to draft him fifth overall.