The growing consensus is that the New York Giants will select Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders with the third overall pick in the 2025 NFL draft if he is available.
But is that the correct decision?
ESPN's Jeremy Fowler spoke with half a dozen NFL personnel executives on Saturday, and four of them had a second-round grade on Sanders. The two others viewed him as a mid-to-late first-round pick.
From @SportsCenter: Teams grapple with whether Shedeur Sanders is a true first-round prospect, and Pittsburgh continues to wait at QB while working on draft
— Jeremy Fowler (@JFowlerESPN) March 29, 2025
With @LRiddickESPN and @aminajadeTVpic.twitter.com/Dnhu0vLmOy
In a separate Saturday appearance on SportsCenter from the one shown above, Fowler delivered a similar message.
"From what I’m hearing, the Browns at No. 2 (and) the Giants at No. 3 have Shedeur Sanders at least in consideration, in the mix -- although the Browns seem to be leaning pass rusher Abdul Carter at this point. But the tricky part with Sanders is where he falls, because I texted with a half-dozen high-level personnel people that I trust asking, 'Is Shedeur Sanders a first-round talent? Do you have a first-round grade on him?'
"Four of those people said, 'No.' Two of those people said, 'He's more of a mid-to-late first-round pick in their eyes.' So, we know quarterbacks get pushed up, get over-drafted, but to go in the top three at this point in the minds of many around the league would be pretty rich."
Fowler also noted that lower-graded quarterbacks still tend to go higher than their projections based on the premium placed on the position. However, Sanders is "no slam-dunk" to go No. 2 or No. 3 overall.
"So certainly, he’s expected to go in the first round somewhere, pretty high. But not a slam-dunk in the top three, based on the way the teams see him around the league," Fowler said.
Is it possible that those teams, fresh with their own needs and motivations, are blowing smoke and planting seeds? It is lying season in the NFL, but those anonymous executives share a similar evaluation of Sanders to analysts around the league without ties to specific teams.
This article originally appeared on Giants Wire: Executives: Giants taking Shedeur Sanders at No. 3 would be too rich
