With the Super Bowl upon us, 30 NFL teams are already looking forward to the draft in late April (with the final two not too far from changing gears). At the quarterback position, two names stand out to be the first selected of that group, Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders and Miami’s Cam Ward.
Both had outstanding final seasons in college, with Sanders throwing 37 touchdowns while completing 74% of his passes and Ward setting the single-season Miami Hurricanes record with 39 touchdowns as well as the Division I career passing TDs record. Ward was also a finalist for the Heisman trophy.
“First Take” analyst Stephen A. Smith discussed which of the two he would take first, and he compared Sanders to a surprising star from the NFC West.
Stephen A. Smith Compares Shedeur Sanders to 49ers’ QB
Sanders is a true senior who began his college career at Jackson State in Mississippi. His father is NFL Hall of Fame defensive back Deion Sanders, who was named the school’s head coach in the fall of 2020. In two seasons as the starter, Sanders led Jackson State to a 23-3 record and two SWAC conference championships.
He entered the transfer portal after the 2022 season and followed his father to Colorado where he was immediately named the starter.
However, 2023 was tough for Sanders as poor offensive line play limited the team to a 4-8 record after starting the season 3-0. He played in 11 games that season, throwing for 3,230 yards and 27 touchdowns while completing 69.3% of his passes.
He bounced back well in 2024 and vaulted up NFL Draft boards to potentially be the first overall pick. Sanders improved in nearly every statistical category as a true senior throwing for 4,134 yards and 37 touchdowns while upping his completion percentage to 74.0%. Sanders has the ability for the next level, and Smith acknowledged that … with a lofty comparison.
“Shedeur has all the intangibles. We love the poise. We love the pedigree. He can make the requisite throws,” Smith said. “He can chunk up some yards on the ground but he’s not that mobile.”
.@stephenasmith says he would select Cam Ward over Shedeur Sanders in the 2025 NFL draft 👀
"[Shedeur Sanders] is an upgrade from [Brock Purdy] athletically, … but that's what we're talking about here." 😳 pic.twitter.com/byZNxFzJlv
— First Take (@FirstTake) January 31, 2025
However, Smith brought up a couple of other negative points that have stuck to Sanders.
“But listen to what they say about him. His arm is not that strong. He’s not that mobile. But he’s a winner. He finds a way to get things done.” He ended positively, and NFL teams will account for how much winning Sanders has done over his time as a starter across two programs.
READ MORE: Stephen A. Smith Bluntly Makes His Pick Between Cam Ward and Deion Sanders’ Son Shedeur Sanders
The biggest thing Smith said was comparing Sanders to San Francisco quarterback Brock Purdy. “That’s the kind of things we’ve said about the Brock Purdys of the world. Obviously, I think Shedeur’s an upgrade from that athletically.”
Purdy had a much different path through the draft than Sanders will, but Smith’s thoughts prove that type of quarterback can win in the NFL.
Purdy had to wait until the very end of the 2022 draft to be selected as “Mr. Irrelevant”. Sanders, like his father, won’t be waiting around that long. Chris Dodson has Sanders going sixth to Las Vegas in Pro Football Network’s latest 2025 NFL mock draft, and many feel he’ll be a top-10 pick.
In two and a half years as the 49ers’ starter, Purdy has led them to an NFC Championship Game and Super Bowl appearance all while having below-average physical ability. He’s now knocking on the door of a second contract potentially worth $194 million. If Sanders turns out to be like Purdy, he should trust in his abilities and take them straight to the bank.
