Mel Kiper Jr. backs Shedeur Sanders as perfect pick for $4,400,000,000 NFC team

ESPN draft expert Mel Kiper Jr. has thrown his weight behind Shedeur Sanders as an ideal selection for the New Orleans Saints in the upcoming NFL draft. His endorsement gains significance following recent news that Derek Carr might miss the 2025 season with a shoulder injury.

Shedeur, son of Hall of Famer and Colorado coach Deion Sanders, has risen draft boards after an impressive college career. He has positioned himself as a potential top 10 selection.

During Monday's episode of ESPN's "First Draft" podcast, Kiper discussed the Saints', which is valued at $4,400,000,000 (per Forbes), evolving draft strategy.

"Saints have been interesting for a month," Kiper said (14:08). "Now they're interesting because even with Derek Carr, they are going to look at a quarterback. Back in the day, they had Jaxson Dart going there right, in one of my mocks early on, and I had Shedeur Sanders going there in this terms of mock — the 3.0, 4.0."

New Orleans holds the ninth overall pick in the draft. As reported by Yahoo Sports on Saturday, the betting odds at BetMGM for the Saints to draft a QB first moved dramatically from +300 to -105 following the Carr injury news.

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The New Orleans Saints' sudden QB crisis hasn't escaped the attention of Deion Sanders.

Following the news about Derek Carr's injury, ESPN analyst Louis Riddick tweeted, "That 9th pick gonna be all kinds of interesting." Sanders responded with an eyes emoji.

The value of Shedeur Sanders landing with the Saints at No. 9 extends beyond fit. According to Saints Wire, "the value of a four-year deal at the No. 9 spot is estimated at $27.7 million, compared to, say, $17.9 million for the No. 21 pick." This financial reality may explain Deion's apparent interest in New Orleans as a landing spot for his son.

Mock drafts have increasingly aligned on this pairing.

"five of the eight mock drafts we surveyed this week have the Saints spending their first-round pick on a quarterback," Saints Wire reported on Sunday. "Five of them have New Orleans drafting the same QB." That quarterback is Shedeur Sanders.

Despite the growing consensus among draft experts, Saints Wire also noted an interesting contradiction.

"If the Saints are interested in (Shedeur) Sanders, they've done a great job of hiding it," Saints Wire wrote.

The team interviewed Shedeur formally at the NFL Scouting Combine and sent their quarterbacks coach to his pro day. New Orleans coach Kellen Moore didn't attend his throwing session, and the team hasn't scheduled a private workout with him.

If Carr misses significant time, the Saints will face a difficult situation with their QB room. The team would need to decide whether to start Shedeur immediately or develop him behind backups Spencer Rattler or Jake Haener.