Unlike many NFL drafts, the 2025 edition does not feature a consensus No. 1 pick heading into the scouting combine later this month.
Colorado's Shedeur Sanders and Miami's Cam Ward are generally viewed as the top two quarterbacks in 2025, but there are differing opinions on which of the two is the best prospect and if either are even the top players in the class.
Fox college football analyst Joel Klatt not only believes that Sanders is the top player in this draft, but also that he is the clear No. 1 pick. Klatt broke down what makes him view Sanders as the top prospect, even comparing part of his game to Hall of Fame Vikings quarterback Fran Tarkenton.
"I think that if you really evaluate him as a quarterback and you take the name off the back of the jersey, if you don't look at who his head coach, I think he's a clear No. 1 quarterback," Klatt said on The Joel Klatt Show. "Here's the reason. Shedeur has the beautiful combination of the ability to be a prototypical passer from the pocket, and he's got the precise ability to be a surgeon in those cases, and he also has the ability to be an artist, and that combination doesn't come around a lot. His ability to create outside of the pocket, and extend the play, is Fran Tarkenton-esque. He's excellent in those situations. If you give him some time in the pocket, which Colorado did not generally with that offensive line. If he has time and he can diagnose what's going on, he can be surgical in the pocket. I believe that he has a chance to be much better in the NFL than he was even at Colorado."
"I believe that he has a chance to be much better in the NFL than he was even at Colorado." 👀@joelklatt on why Shedeur Sanders is the first-overall pick in his NFL Mock Draft 1.0 ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/0AJPIIpI7E
— The Joel Klatt Show: A CFB Pod (@JoelKlattShow) February 12, 2025
Though Klatt believes Sanders is the obvious top pick, he doesn't see the Titans, who hold the No. 1 pick, selecting him. Instead, Klatt predicts that the Giants will trade up to the top pick to select Sanders.
"I don't think Shedeur Sanders is going to want to play in Tennessee and I do not believe that any other players should be taken No. 1. Tennessee can either not take him and go with Cam Ward at No. 1, or I think they can get some capital. Still fall back and potentially get Cam Ward. I believe Tennessee trades the first pick. I believe that the Giants jump up to No. 1, from three to one. They do have a great relationship with Shedeur Sanders. They have vetted him out several times; I believe that it is reciprocal there."
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Joel Klatt Explains Why Shedeur Sanders Is Clear Cut No. 1 Pick in the 2025 NFL Draft.
