Mel Kiper Jr. lists one reason why Shedeur Sanders arm criticism will be neutralized at Saints

Modified Apr 15, 2025 13:46 GMT

NCAA Football: Alamo Bowl-Brigham Young at Colorado - Source: Imagn — Mel Kiper Jr. lists one reason why Shedeur Sanders arm criticism will be neutralized at Saints - Source: Imagn

ESPN NFL draft analyst Mel Kiper Jr. believes Shedeur Sanders would fit well with the New Orleans Saints.

Sanders is one of the more polarizing figures heading into the draft, and many are torn on where he will be drafted. The former Colorado Buffaloes' quarterback will likely be a first-round pick and Kiper believes he should go to the Saints as playing in the dome will help him.

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"When you look at what they need, they are a team that fits Shedeur Sanders because of the dome," Kiper said on ESPN at 14:35. "We've talked about that all the time. You want to criticize his arm, I don't, but if you want to, the dome is going to help. Who else played in that dome? Drew Brees. What they criticized about Drew coming out, his arm.

"What did they say after he hurt his shoulder, his arm. We can't take him at Miami. You got to go get Culpepper, cuz we don't want him. He ended up in New Orleans in a dome and became a great quarterback and won a Super Bowl. So for me, Shedeur Sanders makes perfect sense. It did then, it does now. It did before Derek Carr's injury.”

With Derek Carr having a shoulder injury and his future up in the air, the Saints could use their first-round pick on Sanders to become their franchise quarterback.

Sanders went 353-for-477 for 4,134 yards, 37 touchdowns, and 10 interceptions with the Buffaloes last season.

Shedeur Sanders believes he's a franchise-changing QB

Ahead of the 2025 NFL Draft, Shedeur Sanders has plenty of confidence that he will be a star quarterback in the NFL.

Sanders is one of the top quarterbacks heading into the draft and he believes he can change a franchise.

"We went from Jackson State to Colorado and changed two programs back to back, so you don't think I can come to an NFL franchise and change a program again?" Sanders said, via NFL.com. "It's history. We done it again. It's always going to repeat itself."

If the Saints do pick Sanders ninth overall, the former Buffaloes quarterback could have a chance to start as a rookie due to the injury of Carr.

The 2025 NFL Draft is set for April 24-26 in Green Bay, Wisconsin.

About the author

Cole is an NHL, NFL and College Sports reporter at Sportskeeda with over 7 years of experience writing for publications like CBC, USA Today, SMG, BJPENN, Sherdog and SB Nation.

An NHL fan his whole life, Cole played rep hockey in Canada from age 5 until 17 and grew up rooting for Martin St. Louis and the Tampa Bay Lightning. His all-time favorite players are Vincent Lecavalier and Steven Stamkos, while Jon Cooper is his favorite coach of all time.

Cole attended Sheridan College and received his journalism degree in 2019. After decades of watching and reporting, he considers his knowledge of sports as his primary strength. He ensures that the same story has been reported by at least two reputed reporters before creating it.

Cole enjoys playing golf and spending time with friends and family when not reporting breaking stories. His favorite sports moment is from the 2010 Olympics, when Sidney Crosby scored the golden goal in overtime to beat Team USA for the gold medal.

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Edited by Cole Shelton