Shedeur Sanders Projected to Replace $230 Million NFL QB After Major Draft Trade

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By J.C. Shelton | Last updated Jan 8, 2025 9:10 PM ET

Anticipation is building for the 2025 NFL Draft as football season draws to a close, and Colorado star quarterback Shedeur Sanders is projected to contend for the No. 1 overall pick.

Sanders (6-foot-2, 215 pounds) led the Big 12 Conference and finished fourth nationally with 4,134 passing yards. He also finished second nationally in touchdown passes (37) while completing 74% of his attempts in 2024.

Sanders helped lead the Buffaloes to a 9-4 finish under his father and Colorado head coach, Deion Sanders. It marked a notable improvement for the program after winning just four games the previous season.

With Sanders' collegiate career finished, the big questions that remain are who will take a chance on Shedeur Sanders and where he will land in the draft order.

And, according to CBS Sports' latest mock draft from Chris Trapasso, Sanders is projected to be a part of a major trade that could cement his name into draft lore and provide him with a valuable rookie deal.

Sanders is projected to land at No. 1 overall to the Cleveland Browns in a trade with the Tennessee Titans for the top selection. This would make Sanders a potential replacement for Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson, who signed a fully guaranteed five-year, $230 million deal in 2022.

Cleveland currently holds the No. 2 overall pick.

"The Browns make no mistake about it -- they're done with Deshaun Watson, even though he'll be on the roster for probably the next two seasons," Trapasso wrote. "Sanders is picked to be the starting quarterback with his reasonably polished game."

Watson, 29, suffered a torn Achilles in Week 7 and did not take the field again for Cleveland, which finished at 3-14 under head coach Kevin Stefanski. The Browns turned to backups Jameis Winston and Dorian Thompson-Robinson to finish out the year.

Watson finished the season with 1,148 passing yards and five touchdowns to three interceptions in seven games. The former first-round pick has appeared in just 19 games in the last three seasons combined.

It should also be noted that Watson recently suffered a setback in his recovery from the Achilles tear, according to Browns general manager Andrew Barry.

"As we went through our normal player medical process, we did learn that he did have a setback in his Achilles recovery," Berry said. "We don't have all the details and everything yet, but it will obviously extend the recovery process for him..."

Additionally, the CBS Sports mock draft projects the Titans to select former LSU offensive tackle Will Campbell at No. 2 followed by the New York Giants taking Miami quarterback Cam Ward with the third overall pick.

Sanders and the top prospects from around the country will have a chance to boost their draft stocks at the NFL combine beginning on Feb. 27.

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

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