The 2025 NFL Draft is two months away, and this year’s best prospects will show what they can do this week at the NFL Combine. Legendary evaluator Greg Cosell recently broke down this year’s quarterback prospects and placed Shedeur Sanders as his third-best passer in the class.
Cosell has stated that this year’s quarterback group is “not a great class” as he broke down the top names on a recent “Ross Tucker Football Podcast: Daily NFL Podcast” appearance.
Greg Cosell Compares Shedeur Sanders to Geno Smith
Sanders has consistently been talked about as one of the top two quarterbacks available in this year’s draft after capping his college career with nine wins in 2024.
He started his college career at Jackson State, where his father, Hall of Fame cornerback Deion Sanders, was the head coach. He was named the starting quarterback as a true freshman and threw for 3,231 yards with 30 touchdowns and eight interceptions.
His sophomore season was even better as he completed 70.6% of his passes for 3,732 yards with 40 touchdowns and six picks. Jackson State won the SWAC in both seasons.
He followed his father to the University of Colorado and was immediately named the starter. After a rocky first season, Sanders rebounded with 4,134 yards, 37 touchdowns, and 10 interceptions in 2024, and became the all-time FBS record holder for career completion percentage at 71.8%.
The stats are there for Sanders to have a quality NFL career, but the tape says something different, according to Cosell. The long-time evaluator compared Sanders to Seattle Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith. That comparison will scare some fans, but Smith has rejuvenated his career. Will Sanders find the same success?
“I think overall, you’re talking about a shorter quarterback who’s a pocket player. So, to me, he’s a ball distributor and an executor of an offense,” Cosell said. “He needs the system to work for him. He needs a run game. He needs a good O-line. He’s a piece of an offense. You know, again, I never know where guys are going to get drafted.
“You know, the player I’ve talked to some scouts, the name that often comes up is a comparison for him is Geno Smith. And Geno Smith is a little bit bigger with a better overall arm, but he’s probably that kind of quarterback.”
Smith was selected in the second round by the New York Jets in 2013 and was on track to be a full-fledged bust until he signed with Seattle in 2019. He became the starter in 2022 and has had a winning record in his starts each season. It’s not the best comparison, but Smith has become a capable starter.
Sanders, like Smith, needs help around him, but Cosell still thinks he can be a quality player.
“I think he can be a quality starter in the NFL, no question, but … he needs to be in a certain kind of situation. Most quarterbacks do,” Cosell said. “This is not a knock on Shedeur Sanders, but my guess is … this is my evaluation, and I’ve spoken to people who think, in an ideal world, he’s a late-first, second-round-type player.”
Greg Cosell (the NFL analyst and talent evaluator) compared Shedeur Sanders to Geno Smith
If that’s true, maybe we shouldn’t be expecting him to transform a team – especially a bad one picking at the top of the Draft pic.twitter.com/Gr8ItPFioc
— Maggie Gray (@MaggieGray) February 24, 2025
Radio host Maggie Smith recently reacted to Cosell’s comments on Sanders and thinks expectations need to be lowered even if he gets drafted highly.
“If you took Geno Smith with the third-overall pick or the fourth-overall pick, he’d probably go down in history as one of the all-time busts,” she said. “Here’s my thing about Shedeur: I would caution a little just because he’s going to possibly get taken very high in this draft doesn’t mean that he’s gonna come in and be a difference-maker like we saw Jayden Daniels last year or C.J. Stroud the year before.
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“He’s not coming in with that kind of profile at all. Yeah, he’s a baller, OK, you like it good. But for him to be at the top of this draft might just be the circumstances and might not be because of what he’s actually putting on tape.”
Daniels and Stroud both were named the Offensive Rookie of the Year, but no one seems confident Sanders will be the next rookie to lift the award.
It’s considered a down year for quarterback prospects, but many mock drafts, including PFSN’s latest, have Sanders off the board by the No. 6 pick. If he’s taken that high, he’ll be expected to immediately change the course of that franchise, but it remains to be seen if he has the physical ability to do it.
