Leading up the NFL Draft, NewYorkJets.com will use NFL Draft analyst sound to "Make Your Case" why certain draft prospects would be a good fit for the team.
The Jets hold eight picks in the 2025 NFL Draft including the No. 7 overall selection. The first round will take place April 24 in Green Bay at 8 p.m. ET. Day 2 will be April 25 and Day 3 April 26.
Today's player: Colorado QB Shedeur Sanders
Background/Player Profile
Sanders (6-1½, 212) is riding this year's NFL Draft roulette wheel. Spin the wheel once and the Colorado signal-caller could pay off handsomely at No. 2, where the Browns could take him, according to The Sporting News. Spin it again and he could drop into the No. 24 slot (Lance Zierlein, NFL.com) or even be there on the first pick of Round 2 (**WalterFootball.com**).
The questions about Sanders surround his arm, which some say is not "stellar," and his sackability (94 sacks combined the past two seasons with the Buffaloes) and good-not-great pocket mobility. Including those sacks, he averaged 0.1 yards per carry. Factoring sacks out, his 5.4 yards/carry trailed other Round 1 candidates, Cam Ward and Jaxson Dart, who both averaged 6.3 yards/carry on scrambles, RPOs and the like.
Check out photos of the top 2025 NFL Draft prospects that were mocked to the Jets at No. 7 by various national news outlets over the past few months.
LSU offensive lineman Will Campbell has been one of the most mocked players to the Jets with the No. 7 pick, most recently by ESPN's Mike Tannenbaum.
Michigan DL Mason Graham has been one of the most popular players projected to the Jets with the No. 7 pick, most recently by NFL.com Eric Edholm.
Missouri OT Armand Membou has gained recent popularity being mocked players to the Jets with the No. 7 pick, most recently by ESPN's Field Yates.
Michigan defensive back Will Johnson was mocked to the Jets at No. 7 early in the offseason, recently by The Athletic's Nick Baumgardner.
Penn State tight end Tyler Warren was mocked to the Jets recently by CBS Sports' Chris Trapasso and ESPN's Mel Kiper.
Penn State defensive end Abdul Carter has been a favorite projection to the Jets by Pro Football Focus, most recently mocked by John Kosko to the Jets.
Arizona wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan has been selected by the Jets in Nick Baumgardner's most recent mock.
Georgia defensive lineman Mykel Williams was mocked to the Jets early in the draft season by NFL.com's Chad Reuter.
Miami quarterback Cam Ward was mocked to the Green & White by FOX Sports' Joel Klatt among others.
Mississippi quarterback Jaxson Dart was projected to the Jets by The Athletic's Mike Sando.
Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders was forecasted to the Jets by ESPN's Mel Kiper.
Georgia linebacker Jalon Walker was mocked to the Jets in the first round by NFL.com's Dan Parr.
Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty was projected to the Jets by NFL.com's Lance Zierlein.
Yet Sanders has record-book accuracy — he completed a career-high 70.4% of his throws last season for gaudy numbers of yards (4,134) and TDs-to-INTs (37-10). For his two CU seasons, his 71.8% accuracy set the FBS record.
Perhaps equally important to the numbers are the intangibles, especially under the NFL's white-hot spotlight and particularly if Sanders was to be selected by the Giants at No. 3 overall or the Jets at No. 7.
"One thing I love about Shedeur is that he's always been in the limelight so he's never going to back away from the stage or the bright lights of New York," said Jordan Reid, ESPN's NFL draft expert. "We're talking about somebody that is the son of Deion Sanders, arguably the greatest athlete that's graced the planet. So he's always been in those pressurized situations and he would welcome the limelight of New York."
A related topic is "bankability," as Deion told The Sporting News recently when discussing his son and Travis Hunter, the Buffs' fellow top-of-the-draft candidate.
"He and Travis are the most bankable two young men in this draft. What could surprise you? Shedeur has given you four years of nothing but consistency, with some of the dysfunctional situations, let me say, that we placed him in," the Colorado HC said, referring to protection issues that led to Shedeur's sacks. " But he still exceeded all expectations. ... He's that guy."
See NFL.com's Daniel Jeremiah's top 50 prospects in the 2025 NFL Draft.
No. 1 Abdul Carter, Penn State DE
No. 2 Travis Hunter, Colorado WR
No. 3 Ashton Jeanty, Boise State RB
No. 4 Mason Graham, Michigan DT
No. 6 Jalon Walker, Georgia Edge
No. 5 Tyler Warren, Penn State TE
No. 7 Colston Loveland, Michigan TE
No. 10 Cam Ward, Miami QB
No. 13 Jihaad Campbell, Alabama LB
No. 8 Will Campbell, LSU OT
No. 9 Jahdae Barron, Texas CB
No. 17 Armand Membou, Missouri IOL
North Carolina running back Omarion Hampton (28) runs past Wake Forest linebacker Aiden Hall and defensive back C'Darius Kelley (10) during the first half of an NCAA college football game Saturday, Nov. 16, 2024, in Chapel Hill, N.C. (AP Photo/Chris Seward)
No. 12 Will Johnson, Michigan CB
No. 21 Nick Emmanwori, South Carolina S
Texas wide receiver Matthew Golden (2) makes the catch against Arizona State defensive back Keith Abney II (1) during the first half in the quarterfinals of a College Football Playoff, Wednesday, Jan. 1, 2025, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)
No. 25 Emeka Egbuka, Ohio State WR
No. 15 Tetairoa McMillan, Arizona WR
No. 11 Shedeur Sanders, Colorado QB
No. 14 Tyler Booker, Alabama IOL
No. 23 Mike Green, Marshall Edge
No. 16 Mykel Williams, Georgia Edge
No. 22 Derrick Harmon, Oregon DT
No. 48 Grey Zabel, North Dakota State IOL
No. 28 Donovan Ezeiruaku, Boston College Edge
No. 20 James Pearce Jr., Tennessee Edge
No. 27 Shemar Stewart, Texas A&M Edge
No. 26 Walter Nolen, Ole Miss DT
No. 33 Malaki Starks, Georgia S
No. 18 Kenneth Grant, Michigan DT
No. 19 Kelvin Banks Jr., Texas OT
No. 35 Mason Taylor, LSU TE
No. 32 Luther Burden III, Missouri WR
No. 36 TreVeyon Henderson, Ohio State RB
No. 44 Maxwell Hairston, Kentucky CB
No. 41 Jaxson Dart, Ole Miss QB
No. 30 Josh Simmons, Ohio State OT
No. 34 Quishon Judkins, Ohio State RB
No. 38 Josh Conerly Jr., Oregon OT
No. 45 Benjamin Morrison, Notre Dame CB
No. 31 Donovan Jackson, Ohio State IOL
No. 49 Elijah Arroyo, Miami (FL) TE
No. 37 Carson Schwesinger, UCLA LB
No. 47 Marcus Mbow, Purdue OT
Texas A&M's Nic Scourton (11) warms up prior to an NCAA college football game against Auburn, Saturday, Nov. 23, 2024, in Auburn, Ala. (AP Photo/Stew Milne)
No. 43 CB Azareye'h Thomas, Florida State CB
The Fit
Sanders to the Jets would complete the transformation of the QB depth chart from a year ago. Justin Fields as QB1, Tyrod Taylor the ageless returning vet, OC Tanner Engstrand and QBs coach Charles London would all be great resources for Shedeur's physical transition to the pro game, although he would arrive with pro confidence. But would Sanders be the best available at No. 7 to convince GM Darren Mougey's personnel team to postpone fortifying another position of need, at for instance DL, OT, TE and WR?
Where Sanders Is Projected in Mock Drafts
CBS Sports: No. 7 overall (Jets)
PFF: No. 3 (Giants)
ESPN No. 9 (Saints)
NFL.com (Lance Zierlein): No. 24 (Browns, trade with Vikings)
The Sporting News: No. 2 (Browns)
Other Players in the Field
Miami's Ward, says NBC Sports' Chris Simms, has "elite talent ... the power in his arm is real." Ward's rockets are among the traits that have lifted the Miami star to the No. 1 pick in the vast majority of draft analysts' mocks, going either to Tennessee or to a team that would trade up with the Titans. Jaxson Dart of Ole Miss, who Zierlein says possesses "average physical attributes but good makeup and intangibles," is seemingly everybody's No. 3 QB, going low in Round 1 or high in Round 2. Some draft sites can see Alabama's Jalen Milroe, Ohio State's Will Howard or Quinn Ewers of Texas going to the Jets with a Day 2 selection.
