A Shedeur Sanders Slide Would Be Good News For Jaguars

Here’s a fascinating question entering the draft: What happens if, as CBS Sports insider Jonathan Jones predicted in his mock draft Monday morning, Shedeur Sanders doesn’t have a team at the end of the first round? Enter the Jacksonville Jaguars at 36.

If Jacksonville were to draft Sanders early in the second round, he’d join a quarterback room with Trevor Lawrence, Nick Mullens and John Wolford. And while adding Sanders would create buzz, adding him in the second round would be much different than adding him in the first, where he’s widely expected to go – as high as No. 3 to the Giants.

James Gladstone and Liam Coen have given zero indication that moving on from Lawrence is even an inkling in their minds. And drafting Sanders in the second round would send a clear message that he’s a long-term option, able to sit and learn for at least a year. It could, however, spur Lawrence and send a message that the Jaguars expect a lot more from their highly paid franchise quarterback than what he’s shown the last two years.

Gladstone is unconventional. The Jaguars were the NFL’s only team during the pre-draft process that didn’t invite a single prospect to their city for a visit. Drafting Sanders would certainly qualify as unconventional.

The new Jaguars general manager also has repeatedly expressed his desire for draft picks. Jacksonville already has the most capital in the league over the next two drafts combined. Provided the team understands the opportunity cost of passing on another attractive prospect at No. 36, drafting Sanders would provide leverage and options for Jacksonville’s future.

If Lawrence doesn’t rebound in 2025, another NFL team certainly would step forward in hopes of making him the league’s next successful quarterback with a new start. Sam Darnold and Baker Mayfield have written that story the last two years.

If Lawrence does rebound in 2025, Sanders would certainly look attractive to a quarterback-needy team looking to start over in 2026.

There’s also recent successful precedent for such a move.

Philadelphia took Jalen Hurts in 53rd overall in the second round of the 2020 draft, four years after the team took Carson Wentz second overall in 2016. With quarterback solidified for the foreseeable future, Howie Roseman continued to build a dominant team around that position. Hurts was the full-time starter in his second season (2021) and led the Eagles to a pair of Super Bowls, including the league title last season.

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