10 QB prospects the Cowboys could draft to replace Dak Prescott in 2025

No. 3: Shedeur Sanders, Colorado

Shedeur Sanders, son of Deion Sanders, is a polarizing figure in the draft. Benefiting from his father’s name and reputation, Sanders is likely to go extremely early in the 2025 draft even if there are some significant concerns in his ability to play QB in the NFL.

At 6-foot-1, 215-pounds, Sanders is small for a QB prospect. His 4.65 speed is better looking on paper than it is on the field. He’s a pass-first QB who even when given green space in front of him is looking down field for the bigger play.

His desire to hit the big play downfield is both good and bad. It’s good because he trusts his abilities and makes good reads resulting in plenty of big passes with few interception-worthy passes. It’s bad because his average TTT is nearly 3 seconds, causing him to take too many sacks on plays that didn’t need to be negative.

He shows good mechanics when not under pressure, unfortunately the Colorado offensive line was atrocious in 2023 and often had him running for his life. In those situations, mechanics often flew out the window.

Sanders’ arm is suspect. His ability to hit intermediate passes outside of the numbers (particularly on out-breaking routes) is under question. He’s excellent in the middle of the field, making smart and accurate passes regularly.

Sanders is extremely safe with the ball but has some physical limitations which impact his ceiling. With many projecting him in the top-5 of the draft, he runs the risk of being overdrafted and expected to do more than he can actually do as a pro.