Getty Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders.
If you’re putting all of your eggs in one basket when it comes to who is going to be the Denver Broncos quarterback of the future, you might want to rethink that strategy.
WalterFootball.com has the Broncos falling flat in 2024 and rising to the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, where they’re projected to select Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders.
It would be a stunning turn of events but not outside of the realm of possibility.
The Broncos selected Oregon quarterback Bo Nix at No. 12 overall in the 2024 NFL Draft but FanDuel has Denver’s over/under total for 2024 set at 5.5 wins — the second-lowest in the NFL ahead of just the New England Patriots at 4.5 wins.
From WalterFootball.com: “The Broncos drafted Bo Nix, but if they are so bad in 2024 that they land the top pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, they’ll almost certainly repeat what the Cardinals did when Arizona gave up on Josh Rosen after one year by drafting Kyler Murray. Shedeur Sanders has a high football IQ and great leadership skills. He doesn’t have a stellar arm, but it’s good enough for him to be a top-five pick.”
Sanders Would Have to Play Way Into No. 1 Pick
Colorado’s 4-8 record in 2023 wasn’t indicative of how well Sanders played — he threw for 3,230 yards, 27 touchdowns and 3 interceptions in 11 games in 2023 but was sacked 52 times in 11 games. By comparison, that would have put him third in the NFL in sacks taken in 2023 while playing a 17-game schedule, according to StatMuse.
While Sanders would have likely been one of the top picks in the 2024 NFL draft, he will have to put together a stellar season in order to rise to the No. 1 overall pick in 2025.
He will have two things working on his side that could make that happen.
First, the offensive line got a massive upgrade when Colorado signed IMG (Florida) Academy offensive tackle Jordan Seaton, a 6-foot-5, 290-pound five-star prospect and the No. 1 offensive tackle in the Class of 2024. Seaton will likely start immediately, protecting Sanders’ blindside.
Second, Colorado’s wide receiver group is absolutely stacked. They return All-American cornerback/wide receiver Travis Hunter (721 receiving yards) and Jimmy Horn (567 receiving yards, 6 touchdowns).
Through the transfer portal, the Buffs added Florida Atlantic transfer LaJohntay Wester, who was an AP All-American in 2023 with 108 receptions, 1,168 receiving yards and 8 touchdowns along with being named All-AAC and AAC Special Teams Player of the Year. They also bring in Vanderbilt wide receiver Will Sheppard, who was an All-SEC pick in 2022.
Record-Run on QBs in ’24 Won’t Repeat in ’25
The record-tying run on quarterbacks selected in the first round of the 2024 NFl draft isn’t likely to be repeated in 2025 — six quarterbacks were taken in the first 12 picks in 2024.
In 2025, there are three quarterbacks right now who seem like they have first-round potential with Georgia’s Carson Beck, Texas’ Quinn Ewers and Sanders.
ESPN’s Jordan Reid has those three listed as his top three quarterback prospects for the 2025 NFL draft.
“A calm distributor when protected, Sanders’ game centers around accuracy and ball placement,” Reid wrote. “He completed 69.3% of his passes last season, which ranked eighth in the FBS. He never lacks confidence and isn’t afraid to test his limits as a thrower. He has enough power in his arm to drive throws over the middle of the field and deliver the ball accurately to targets outside the hashes.
“After dominating at Jackson State in the FCS in 2021 and 2022, Sanders moved up to the FBS level and had immediate success, finishing with 3,230 passing yards, 27 touchdown passes and three interceptions.”