Landing number 1 overall pick might not be enough for Saints to draft Shedeur Sanders

This is not a surprising development.

While the New Orleans Saints are coming off a Week 10 win, they had previously lost seven straight games with the last of that bunch coming against the lowly Carolina Panthers. When a team considered to be the worst in the league beats you, that then makes your team the worst in the league.

The worst team in the league is typically rewarded with the first overall pick in the following draft and they get the right to draft any player they want. One strong candidate for the number one pick in the 2025 NFL Draft is Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders, who has thrown for 2,882 yards, 24 touchdowns, and six interceptions in nine games.

If the Saints were to land the top pick in the draft and wanted to draft Sanders, it might not be that easy for them. Colorado head coach and Shedeur's father Deion Sanders recently said that he'd step in and make sure his son didn't end up with the wrong team in the draft (much like John Elway and Eli Manning's fathers did for their sons back in the day). He said he'd step in privately but we know how "private" things are in sports so the word would obviously get out sooner rather than later.

Would Deion Sanders let Shedeur Sanders play for the New Orleans Saints?

If the Saints finished the season with the first pick (or even a top five pick), it's worth questioning if they'd be one of the teams Deion would step in and ask not to draft his son. Back when they had Sean Payton running things it might have been different but the team is in flux and has been since Payton left. No one would blame Deion if he didn't want Shedeur suiting up for the Saints.

The Saints offensive line has been a mess over the past few years and Shedeur already dealt with that during his first year at Colorado, getting sacked a whopping 52 times in 2023. The Saints are also in salary cap hell and wouldn't be able to afford to get the kind of help that a young quarterback would need.

It's worth noting that Sanders and Miami quarterback Cam Ward are considered the two best quarterbacks in the draft. Ward could also end up going number one and would have less drama surrounding him so he could be the more attractive candidate for a team like the Saints, who likely aren't getting the Deion Sanders stamp of approval.

Interestingly enough, the Saints would hold the ninth pick if the season ended today. Their win in Week 10 propelled them from a top five pick to now just barely hanging onto a pick in the top 10. They wouldn't be in a position to draft Sanders (or Ward) if the season ended right now but if they continue to get back on a losing train, this could become a hot topic of debate in NFL circles.