The Los Angeles Rams are a team to watch for one of the “second-tier” quarterback prospects to develop behind Matthew Stafford. Perhaps the Rams would be interested in one who likens himself to Tom Brady in Shedeur Sanders.
Sanders was a one-time Heisman Trophy hopeful. He ultimately finished eighth in the voting and lost the award to teammate Travis Hunter. Sanders’ stock is fluctuating ahead of the draft.
CBS Sports’ Kyle Stackpole believes Sanders could be available to the Rams at No. 26 overall.
“Matthew Stafford is back in Los Angeles, but the Rams have to start planning for the future at the game’s most important position,” Stackpole wrote on March 29. “As a result, they end the slide of Shedeur Sanders and hope he develops into their next franchise QB learning behind a likely future Hall of Famer.”
Sanders, whose motto is “be legendary,” led the Big 12 with 4,134 passing yards, 37 touchdowns, and a 74% completion rate for the Colorado Buffaloes in 2024.
Sanders entered the season as arguably the top QB prospect in the class.
He has since seen former Miami Hurricanes QB Cam Ward and Jaxson Dart, formerly of the Ole Miss Rebels, overtake and creep into contention for the top spot, respectively. Conversely, Sanders’ stock has dipped despite the season ending in February.
Shedeur Sanders’ Stock Difficult to Gauge Amid Rams Projection
GettyFormer Colorado Buffaloes QB Shedeur Sanders #2 warms up before a game against the Kansas Jayhawks.
ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reported that, unsurprisingly, teams have varying grades on Sanders. Some view him as more of a back-end of the first-round or second-round talent.
His position could see him drafted above that projection, though.
“Many of the people I’ve talked to believe that Shedeur Sanders is under consideration in that top three. You’re talking Browns at [No.] 2, Giants at 3, although Abdul Carter, the pass rusher seems to have momentum a little bit for the Browns at 2. Here’s the tricky part with Sanders: Before I walked in here, I texted with a half-dozen or so high-level personnel people with teams. I asked them a simple question: Do you have a first-round grade on Shedeur Sanders,” Fowler siaid on “SportsCenter” on March 29.
“Four said, ‘No,’ [he is] more of a second-rounder.’ Two said, ‘Yes,’ that he’s a mid-to-late first-round pick for them. So we all know quarterbacks get pushed up; that’s the way it goes. He’s certainly worthy, it looks like, in the first round pick. But to go in the top 3? That’s what teams are grappling with right now. They see Cam Ward as that type of player. They don’t see Sanders as that.”
Fowler noted the New Orleans Saints could be in play for Sanders with the No. 9 overall pick of the draft. Colleague and former NFL executive Louis Riddick pointed to the Las Vegas Raiders and Pittsburgh Steelers as potential landing spots.
All of those teams could end the Rams’ hopes of landing Sanders long before LA goes on the clock. That is, unless the Rams trade up.
Shedeur Sanders’ Expectations vs Reality
GettyColorado Buffaloes head coach Deion Sanders celebrates with Shedeur Sanders #2 against the Utah Utes.
Sanders has said he tries to emulate Brady, a minority owner of the Raiders, in his own game. The pair even trained together when the former was still at Jackson State.
“Tom Brady, he’s a all-time great,” Sanders told reporters in February at the 2025 scouting combine. “Being able to have that resource, being able to have that person I’m able to talk to and call whenever I’m having questions about the game – and he’s able to relate to it, because he did it at the highest level – it’s truly amazing, and I’m thankful for that.”
“A couple years ago, he extended his hand,” Sanders said. “We flew down there. Dad came, and we rode with him. He took me in his truck to his high school field. Then, from then on, he was just telling me knowledge, and I filmed everything, I recorded everything.
“Sometimes I go back and just listen to the things that he said at that time, and it registers. Everything that he said back then registers now, and it applies.”
NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein wrote that Sanders’ production was more than having Hunter.
“He’s seen mixed results under an intensely bright spotlight, but there are no signs his confidence has ever wavered. Sanders possesses a baseline of poise, savvy and accuracy, traits that are integral in becoming an NFL starter. He’s slow-twitch with standard arm talent and a longer release, but he worked around those limitations with anticipation and accuracy. He plays with decent command from the pocket and finds his rhythm when working on-time and on-platform,” Zierlein wrote.
“He will pass on profits and look for the big play too often. Average velocity and slower rip times mean tighter windows against faster athletes, so throwing off-platform or trying to do more than his arm talent allows is ill-advised. He’s tough and willing to take the hit to complete the throw once he’s locked into his target. Sanders is pocket mobile and finds clean alternate launch points, but he often creates pressure and sacks with undisciplined pocket drops.”
The Rams could afford Sanders time to develop behind Stafford. They have a strong infrastructure with head coach Sean McVay, an ascending star in Puka Nacua, and a talented young defense.
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