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The 2025 NFL Draft is shaping up to be one of the most intriguing in recent history.
Several teams look to be in competition for the No. 1 overall pick, and nobody knows which player is going to go at No. 1
Recent history tells us that whoever goes off the board first will likely be a quarterback. But which quarterback has the strongest claim to that spot at the moment?
According to an ESPN poll of 20 NFL scouts and executives, it appears to be Colorado star Shedeur Sanders.
Sanders received nine votes as the top quarterback in the 2025 class, the most among any player. But he’s far from a sure thing. Georgia Bulldogs signal caller Carson Beck followed with five votes, while Alabama’s Jalen Milroe was just behind with four.
Miami star Cam Ward and Texas Longhorns junior Quinn Ewers each got one vote.
“Definitely a strange year,” one NFL executive told ESPN. “Obviously need to see more.”
Entering the season, NFL scouts were mixed on Sanders’ pro prospects.
“Watching that Oregon game, he didn’t have a chance behind that group,” an NFC area scout that covers Colorado’s region told ESPN. “There are some things that come with him, but I believe he has a chance to be special if he matures in some areas.”
That echoed an AFC team scout, who said that “When they actually protected him, you just simply can’t teach the poise that that kid plays with. They crumbled after those first few games, but in those first games, Shedeur showed that he’s capable of operating at a high level when he has time.”
The other aspect of the discussion is where Sanders would be willing to sign. His father, former NFL superstar Deion Sanders, appears to already have destinations in mind for both his son and Colorado star two-way player Travis Hunter.