The Pittsburgh Steelers brought Colorado QB Shedeur Sanders in Thursday for a pre-draft visit. It wasn’t that long ago that most people assumed Sanders was going top five in the 2025 NFL Draft. In that scenario, the Steelers would have needed to mortgage their future to have a shot at drafting him.
However, as the draft process has continued, Sanders’ stock has become much more volatile. Analyst Dane Brugler thinks he could go anywhere from the top 10 to the latter stages of the first round.
“I wouldn’t be surprised if we’re talking mid-first round, maybe into the 20s, and Shedeur Sanders is still available,” Brugler said Thursday on The Herd with Colin Cowherd.
That would be quite the precipitous drop, especially for a quarterback who was very productive in 2024. Sanders completed 353 of his 477 passes for 4,134 yards and 37 touchdowns. That’s a completion percentage of 74 percent, which led the entire FBS. He also added four rushing touchdowns.
And Brugler acknowledges that there are a lot of positives to Sanders’ game. But some of those numbers might be painting him in a false light.
“I think he can be an NFL starter,” Brugler said. “He’s smart, he’s tough, he’s poised. He’s accurate, maybe not as accurate as 74 percent completions would lead you to believe. Twenty-eight percent of those completions [were] screen passes. But I just wonder about the way he likes to play. Does he have the physical traits to get away with that in the NFL? There are a lot of times where he is running himself into sacks. And he’s not making the right decisions from the pocket. So there’s things about his profile that really, I think he can start in the NFL, but is he really going to uplift everyone around me and carry a franchise?”
It’s the answer to that final question that will determine where Shedeur Sanders goes in the 2025 NFL Draft. Does a team early in the draft believe the answer is yes? If so, Sanders won’t even sniff the 20s. But Sanders took 37 sacks in 2024. And Brugler thinks a big part of that is his decision-making process from the pocket. He acknowledged that Colorado had a bad offensive line, but Sanders compounded those issues at times.
And there is no position that determines the fate of an NFL general manager more than a quarterback who is picked early in the first round. If you hit, you’re set for years. If you fail, you’re not likely to get another chance, at least in whichever city you made that pick. Perhaps there are NFL general managers who need team needs a quarterback early in the draft who aren’t willing to risk their jobs answering that question about Sanders.
Evidently, the Steelers think there is a chance that Sanders could be available to them. That’s why they brought him in for a visit. And Brugler thinks he can start in the NFL. Would they take him 21st overall? Draft analyst Connor Rogers thinks they should pass and should instead opt for one of the talented defensive linemen who will be available.
But the Steelers do not have a long-term answer at quarterback. If they believe that Shedeur Sanders can be that guy, he just might be available without the Steelers needing to swing a trade move up for him. Regardless, draft day will be very interesting for Shedeur Sanders.
