NFL Exec: Shedeur Sanders 'the Best of' 2025 QB Draft Prospects over Ward, Beck, More

ESPN's Jordan Reid ranked Colorado's Shedeur Sanders at No. 1 on the first edition of his 2025 QB Hot Board Monday ahead of players like Miami's Cam Ward, Georgia's Carson Beck, Alabama's Jalen Milroe and Texas' Quinn Ewers, among others.

And some NFL executives agree.

"He's been the best of the bunch to me, and I've been impressed by his growth this year," an assistant general manager from an NFC team told Reid. "The on-field demeanor has been contagious so far, and the results have shown on that team this year."

Sanders has the numbers to back it up, throwing for 2,018 yards, 17 touchdowns and four interceptions while completing an impressive 72.6 percent of his passes. Colorado has gone 4-2 on the year, losing to the two best teams its faced in Nebraska and Kansas State, but Sanders has been a bright spot.

There are areas to clean up. He's taken 23 sacks through six games, and that can't be fully blamed on his offensive line. Per Reid, Sanders "averages 2.94 seconds before throwing this season, which ranks 111th in FBS," while his "8.3 percent sack-per-dropback rate ranks 107th."

But in general, the positives have outweighed the negatives. Sanders is trending toward being a top-five pick, and the top quarterback off the board, at the 2025 NFL draft.