Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders is still on the board heading into day three of the 2025 NFL draft.
The New York Jets should absolutely take advantage of this historic draft slide by trading up to land the talented passer.
New York Jets receive: a 2025 fourth-round pick (No. 103 overall)
Tennessee Titans receive: a 2025 fourth-round pick (No. 110 overall) and a 2025 sixth-round pick (No. 186 overall)
According to the NFL draft value chart, the Titans’ fourth rounder to start day three is worth 88 points, and the Jets’ fourth rounder at No. 110 overall is worth 74 points. To make an even trade, the Jets would have to add their earliest sixth-round draft choice. It would be a slight overpay by the numbers, but that can happen when you’re trading up for a quarterback.
The Jets should trade up to the top pick in the fourth round to land Sanders. Don’t wait to see if he falls to you, be aggressive and take advantage of an insane value at this point in the draft.
The Value Is Too Good to Pass up On
Dane Brugler of The Athletic ranked Sanders as the second-best quarterback in this draft class and the No. 34 overall player in this class.
“Shedeur Sanders’ fall from the first round was about a simple evaluation. The quarterback’s plummet this far, though? That’s a whole lot more complicated,” Jeff Howe of The Athletic said.
“Asked Friday night to add context to Sanders’ fall, one executive from a team in the quarterback market said there was ‘no smoking gun, but it’s not just football either.’ The executive indicated that Sanders’ celebrity and the attention he would bring would complicate his selection because he is not seen as a star,” Stephen Holder of ESPN revealed.
However, at a certain point, talent is talent. The NFL has different standards for varying players on the roster.
“One day, a reporter asked Jimmy Johnson if he would treat his star quarterback, Troy Aikman, the same way as a third-string lineman if he caught them both dozing off in a team meeting.
Johnson answered, ‘Absolutely not. If I found a third-string lineman sleeping in a team meeting, I would cut him immediately. If I found Troy Aikman sleeping in a meeting, I would gently wake him and ask him if I could bring him a cup of coffee,’ via John Gronski.
I’m not saying Sanders is Aikman. Just that the more talent you have, the longer the leash is on how much BS you’re willing to put up with. In other words, when you reach the fourth round and a first-round talent at QB is still available, you have to strongly consider it.
“He’s gonna, like there’ll be this chip on his shoulder, and beware because this guy is going to play in this league,” Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton said Friday via ESPN.
Jets Listed as a Top Landing Spot for Sanders
Cody Benjamin of CBS Sports ranked the Jets as the third-best landing spot for Sanders in the draft.
“They’ve spent most of the draft adding help for new quarterback Justin Fields, not competition for him,” Benjamin said. “Fields is a trial-run option until further notice. The Sanders family in the New York spotlight might be wild, but again, this is about value at a position of importance.”
The Jets don’t have a long-term franchise quarterback on the roster.
They hope Fields can transform into that guy. Tyrod Taylor is a backup who is closer to the end of his career than the beginning. Jordan Travis hasn’t even participated in a practice at the NFL level yet because of an injury he suffered in college.
Sanders is a shot worth taking. If you take the young man, is there some extra baggage that comes with him being the son of Hall of Famer Deion Sanders? Sure, but what is this risk?
In the fourth round, you’re taking a flier.
If you don’t think he is a good fit in the locker room or that he can’t cut it at the NFL level, you can simply dump him. No harm, no foul with a fourth-round pick. Fourth-rounders don’t make NFL teams all the time.
However, if it works, the Jets will be heralded for finding their franchise quarterback on the third day of the draft. The risk versus reward is too good to pass up at this point in the draft.
Like Heavy Sports’s content? Be sure to follow us.
This article was originally published on Heavy Sports
The post Jets Predicted to Trade up to Land Colorado QB Shedeur Sanders appeared first on Heavy Sports.