Mel Kiper Jr. sticks with bold QB evaluation days before 2025 NFL Draft

Mel Kiper Jr. has been doing the NFL Draft thing for quite some time. That's not to say he's perfect, because if we know anything about mocking the NFL Draft, we know it's an inexact science. 

It's kind of like baseball; if you get three out of every 10 picks right, you're basically a Hall of Famer.

That said, Kiper is a trusted evaluator and he has a ton of sources. That's why it's a bit surprising to see that just days before the draft, he's sticking with the unconventional wisdom at quarterback.

Most seem to think that Miami's Cam Ward is the top quarterback in the 2025 NFL Draft, and he very well could be the No. 1 overall pick on Thursday. 

On Kiper's final ESPN Big Board, though, he ranks Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders over Ward.

The truth of the matter is that both Ward and Sanders have the talent to be elite quarterbacks at the NFL level. Ward may have more arm talent, while Sanders may be the better overall athlete, but it's very close. 

What Sanders has that Ward doesn't is the "Coach Prime" effect, though, and that could be a good or bad thing depending on the evaluator. Being Deion Sanders' son should hypothetically make it so the bright lights of the NFL doesn't faze the young quarterback. Conversely, by drafting Sanders, an NFL team would essentially be inviting "Coach Prime" into its business. 

That could be the differentiating factor between the two quarterbacks, because their college production was so similar last season. 

Ward threw for 4,313 yards and 39 touchdowns with seven interceptions last season while also rushing for four touchdowns on the ground. Sanders threw for 4,134 yards and 37 touchdowns with 10 interceptions while also rushing for four touchdowns. 

Sanders' teammate at Colorado, Travis Hunter, is Kiper's No. 1-ranked player on the board. He won the Heisman Trophy last season after starting at both wideout and cornerback for the Buffaloes.