NFL Mock Draft: Former Jaguars RB predicts Giants to pick Shedeur Sanders at No. 3 in 2025 NFL Draft
Former Jacksonville Jaguars First-team All-Pro running back Maurice Jones-Drew projects the Giants will select Shedeur Sanders as the third overall pick in the NFL draft later this month.
Although the New York Giants have temporarily addressed their lack of experience at quarterback, that doesn’t mean they shouldn’t find a long-term solution for that position.
In his latest mock draft released on Thursday on the NFL Network, Jones-Drew described Sanders as:
“A crisp and accurate passer has the talent and moxie to become a star in New York.”
In late March, the Giants signed 10-time Pro Bowl quarterback Russell Wilson to a one-year contract worth $10.5 million while adding Jameis Winston a few days later for two years to the tune of $8 million.
Sanders and Cam Ward are projected to be the top two quarterbacks selected in the draft, which runs from April 24 to 26 in Green Bay.
The former Colorado QB, Sanders, won the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award as the top upperclassman quarterback in the US last season.
He was also named the Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year in 2024, an award that went to the Washington Commanders' Jayden Daniels the previous year. Daniels was the NFL Offensive Rookie Player of the Year in 2024.
Shedeur Sanders has been praised as a reliable pocket passer with great footwork and accuracy. He completed 74.0% of his throws with the Buffaloes last season and was incredibly sharp in the red zone, completing 71.4% of his throws in that area of the field in 2024.
Shedeur Sanders described as "hardest quarterback to evaluate”
While Shedeur Sanders had a sensational final college season, throwing for 4,134 yards and 37 touchdowns, many analysts and scouts are struggling to figure out if he’ll be such a phenom in the NFL.
NFL analyst and former pro quarterback Dan Orlovsky has a theory about why he’s been such a difficult player to pin down. On Friday's episode of "Get Up," he said.
“He’s the hardest quarterback I’ve had to evaluate since I’ve gotten into TV,” said Orlovsky. “Because 75% of his snaps don’t matter, Greeny. And that’s the reality for everybody that’s evaluating Shedeur Sanders,” Orlovsky said.
“It feels like when you watch his tape, every ball is thrown at the line of scrimmage…And then 25% of the snaps the offensive line protection is so terrible that I don’t care if you have Lamar Jackson or Patrick Mahomes, you’re not doing anything with that either,” Orlovsky added.
Scouts from around the country flocked to Colorado to watch him throw in person, in part because of Orlovsky’s theory, with the pro day in Colorado taking place on Friday.