With the 2025 NFL Draft days away, it seems like the perfect storm has taken place for the New Orleans Saints to select Shedeur Sanders with the ninth-overall pick. The second-ranked quarterback prospect in the class has received interest from the Cleveland Browns, New York Giants, and Las Vegas Raiders, who all pick in the top six, but the majority of draft experts believe those teams will pass on him.
That means Sanders should be available at No. 9, when New Orleans is on the clock. Add in the recent news about Derek Carr’s mysterious shoulder injury that could lead to him missing the 2025 season, and selecting Sanders seems like a no-brainer move for the Saints. The selection certainly would add some juice to the fan base that has quickly got behind the idea of Sanders as the team’s next quarterback.
Unfortunately, draft insiders are trying to warn Saints fans not to get their hopes up. ESPN released a piece on Friday diving into all of the latest draft intel. The first topic covered was the idea of Sanders going to New Orleans. Three draft analysts, Field Yates, Matt Miller, and Jordan Reid, were asked if they were buying or selling Shedeur Sanders to the Saints. Both Yates and Miller responded selling, arguing they believe New Orleans would pass over the quarterback if he’s available.
ESPN draft analysts think Saints will pass on Shedeur Sanders
Yates explained that New Orleans would have to love Sanders to take him at nine, and he hasn’t gotten the sense that’s the case. Instead, he thinks New Orleans is more likely to go after Jaxson Dart or Tyler Shough later in the draft. Miller, on the other hand, thinks the Saints would rather build the rest of their roster with their picks, and explore the idea of Spencer Rattler being QB1.
Reid was the lone analyst buying the idea of Sanders to New Orleans. He argues that one way for the Saints to get out of their perpetually bad cap situation is to find an answer at quarterback on a rookie deal. Reid acknowledges that could be Sanders or Rattler, so he thinks the Saints should get both and figure out which later.
The decision on Sanders and any other quarterbacks in the 2025 Draft class will ultimately come down to how New Orleans evaluates them alongside Rattler. If the Saints believe Rattler is a similar or better prospect, they will just had him the keys to the organization, and use their picks on other positions.