After the 2024 college football season ended, quarterbacks Shedeur Sanders and Cam Ward were viewed as close prospects and the only two signal-callers worth a first-round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. With draft day fast approaching, the gap between the quarterback prospects has changed significantly.
Ward is expected to be the first overall pick by the Tennessee Titans and taken no later than second overall by the Cleveland Browns. He’s established himself as the unquestioned top passer in the 2025 NFL Draft class, with Sanders viewed as a substantial tier behind him.
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Shedeur Sanders stats (ESPN): 4,134 passing yards, 37-10 TD-INT, 74% completion rate, 8.7 yards per attempt, 168.2 QB rating, 4 rushing touchdowns
Meanwhile, Dart’s name continues to generate pre-draft buzz. Once viewed as a Day 2 pick, there’s increased chatter that he could sneak into the end of Round 1. At the latest, the former Ole Miss signal-caller would be a top-40 pick as one of the first players selected on Day 2 of the NFL Draft.
It’s a direct result of the value of the quarterback position, with fringe first-round talents pushed up higher because of the desperation from certain teams. Dart and Sanders will both benefit from it and it might not be the only similarity they share.
Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated wrote that he doesn’t believe Dart is much behind Sanders on team boards ahead of the 2025 NFL Draft. In fact, based on conversations with talent evaluators, he senses the consensus is that Sanders is much closer to Dart as a prospect than he is to Ward.
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Sanders is still in play to be the second overall pick by Cleveland but he could fall to a team like the New York Jets or New Orleans Saints. Dart’s draft projection isn’t nearly as high, with the most optimistic forecasts having him taken with the 21st overall pick by the Pittsburgh Steelers.
However, a lot of that has to do with pro-readiness. Dart is coming from Lane Kiffin’s offense, a limited system that runs a few select numbers of plays with variations of them. He’s not believed to be a quarterback who can start in his rookie season, whereas Sanders could see the field in September.
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