Shedeur Sanders Says He's 'Built for Whatever Today May Bring' amid NFL Draft Rumors

There isn't a player with a more uncertain and fluctuating draft stock heading into the first round of the NFL draft on Thursday night than Shedeur Sanders.

Maybe he'll be a top-10 pick. Maybe he'll drop until later in the first round. Maybe he won't be drafted on Thursday night at all and will have to wait until Friday's second round to hear his name called.

Whatever the case may be, Sanders seems to be bracing himself for any possibility:

That doesn't sound like the post of someone confident he will be off the board quickly, and perhaps for good reason—there has been a growing amount of reporting suggesting that Sanders could indeed slip into the second round:

That said, it's still very possible that Sanders will end up going in the first round. The B/R NFL Scouting Department, for instance, projected the Cleveland Browns to trade back into the first round and take him at No. 20.

Generally speaking, quarterbacks go higher than expected at the draft, given the importance of the position. But if teams believe they can wait this year, given that there seemingly is a major drop-off between Cam Ward and the rest of the available options, it could create a scenario where teams are competing to get back into the end of the first round rather than missing out on a safer bet at a different position earlier in the draft.

Coming into Thursday, there are a number of teams who very much need to address the quarterback position with a long-term option. The Tennessee Titans are one, but everything is pointing toward them taking Ward. The Cleveland Browns, New York Giants, New Orleans Saints and Pittsburgh Steelers are the others.

There's a case to be made for others teams as well, like the Las Vegas Raiders—though Geno Smith is under contract through the 2027 season—or the New York Jets if they want competition for Justin Fields.

But in general, it seems like the Titans, Browns, Giants, Saints and Steelers are the main teams to focus on here. It's hard to imagine the Browns and Giants going quarterback at Nos. 2 and 3, respectfully, with absolute studs like Travis Hunter and Abdul Carter available. And there's been plenty of buzz that the Saints won't go quarterback at No. 9.

So that means that the second quarterback may not come off the board until the Steelers pick at No. 21, or perhaps just before them if teams trade back into the first round to leapfrog Pittsburgh. That means that the late teens are when Shedeur Watch may begin in earnest if he gets past the Saints.

He seems to be preparing for that sort of scenario.