The New Orleans Saints are going to have to hope that Mel Kiper Jr. is wrong about Shedeur Sanders.
Kiper has been one of the strongest advocates for the Colorado quarterback over the last few months. On Thursday, Day 1 of the 2025 NFL Draft, he campaigned heavily for the Saints to take Sanders with their ninth overall pick. New Orleans opted for Texas offensive lineman Kelvin Banks Jr. instead.
Sanders fell out of the first round entirely. Before the draft resumed on Day 2, Kiper issued a serious warning to the Saints if they passed on Sanders again.
“The fourth or the third round? You’ve got to be kidding me,” said Kiper. “If the Saints don’t pick Shedeur Sanders, that, to me, is one of the biggest blunders in the NFL draft in a long time.”
The Saints did use their 40th overall selection to select a quarterback, but it was not Sanders. New Orleans made Louisville QB Tyler Shough the third passer off the board, which was quite the polarizing move among fans.
In all fairness to the Saints, most of the league also passed on Sanders. The New York Giants, who were constantly linked to Shedeur, passed on Sanders twice in the first round alone. The Giants traded up for the 25th pick only to select Ole Miss QB Jaxson Dart.
