If Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders slips in the draft, should the Indianapolis Colts consider taking him?
The Indianapolis Colts own the 14th overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. Could they select Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders? That sounds crazy, considering they already have Anthony Richardson and Daniel Jones on the roster. But James Adams of 107.5 The Fan wrote about the Colts possibly drafting Sanders:
Shedeur has been projected as a first-round quarterback in a fairly weak draft class, though recently his stock has taken a bit of a hit. Both the Browns and the Giants, who own the second and third picks, and even the Raiders with the sixth pick, lack true franchise quarterbacks. All three seem like obvious candidates to take Sanders, even if he wouldn’t start right away. Lately, though, some projections have Sanders falling out of the Top 10 entirely, potentially all the way down to the Steelers at 21. If that did happen, if Sanders were there when the Colts used the 14th pick, could they use that pick on him?”
Don’t expect the Colts to draft Sanders. But an Anthony Richardson/Daniel Jones/Shedeur Sanders battle would be interesting.
Could the Indianapolis Colts Draft Quarterback Shedeur Sanders?
Sanders’ Career
Shedeur Sanders attended Trinity Christian School, located in Cedar Hill, Texas. He threw for 3,702 yards and 43 touchdowns during his senior year. Sanders originally committed to play college football at Florida Atlantic. Yet, he eventually changed his mind and chose Jackson State.
Sanders would spend two seasons at Jackson State, playing for his father, Deion Sanders, who was the head coach. He passed for 3,231 yards and 30 touchdowns in his first year. As a result, he was named the Southwestern Atlantic Conference Freshman of the Year. He also won the Jerry Rice Award, which is given to the top freshman in the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision.
Sanders recorded 3,732 yards and 40 touchdowns during his second season. He then transferred to Colorado, following his father, who became head coach of the Buffaloes.
In 2024, Sanders led the Buffaloes to a 9-4 record and a trip to the Alamo Bowl. He finished the campaign with 4,134 passing yards and 37 touchdowns. He earned Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year honors and won the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award.
Does Drafting Him Make Sense?
Sanders may still be available at pick No. 14. Sometimes, quarterbacks slip in the draft. For example, Aaron Rodgers slid to the 24th pick back in 2005. And Will Levis, who some people believed the Colts would draft fourth overall in 2023, fell to the second round.
Drafting a quarterback in the first round would mean the Colts are giving up on the Richardson experiment. But it appears that they’re going to give Richardson at least one more year to prove that he’s Indy’s franchise quarterback.
If Sanders slips to No. 14, it’s highly unlikely that the Colts will draft him. Taking a tight end like Colston Loveland or a linebacker like Jihaad Campbell is much more realistic. But then again, you never know what general manager Chris Ballard is going to do. Last year, most people thought he would take either a cornerback or a wide receiver in the first round. Yet, he fooled everyone by drafting defensive end Laiatu Latu 15th overall. We’ll see what happens.