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Insider Pushes Historic NFL Franchise to Trade Up for Shedeur Sanders

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Austin C. Boyd | Last updated Feb 20, 2025 12:31 PM ET

Heading into the 2025 NFL Draft, Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders appears to be one of the most polarizing prospects in the entire class. He was one of the top quarterbacks in the country in 2024 but his lack of athletic upside has many questioning if he's worth a top-10 draft pick.

The Las Vegas Raiders are the team that has been most commonly linked to him. He seems to be a big fan of Las Vegas and the team desperately needs an upgrade at quarterback. Even if Sanders doesn't end up being a Pro Bowl-level quarterback, he's likely an upgrade over what they currently have.

For that fact alone, ESPN's Bill Barnwell thinks the Raiders need to trade up to get him.

“I’m gonna say the Las Vegas Raiders should trade up for Shedeur Sanders,” Barnwell said on Thursday's episode of "Get Up." “I understand this is not a great quarterback class, but I think we’re underrating Sanders a bit. He’s accurate, he’s poised, he’s smart, and we already know Tom Brady and Deion Sanders are in a love fest. He’d be happy to be there. I think Shedeur Sanders makes total sense.”

It's easy to see Brady, who is now a part owner of the Raiders, pushing for Sanders. He was never the most physically gifted quarterback in the NFL but he's now widely considered the greatest to ever play.

He's going to put more value into accuracy, leadership and football IQ than he is athletic traits. That could lead to him favoring Sanders over other options.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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