The 2025 NFL Draft is still over a week away, but Mel Kiper has already turned in his final mock draft for ESPN, and he has Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders being selected by the New Orleans Saints with the No. 9 pick. Kiper explained that Sanders is a fit for the Saints due to the fact that he would be playing in a dome for home games, and that his play style is similar to Drew Brees.

“They are a team that fits Shedeur Sanders because of the dome,” Mel Kiper said. “We've talked about it all the time. You want to criticize his arm, I don't but if you want to, the dome is going to help. Who else played in that dome? Drew Brees. What did they criticize about Drew coming out? His arm. What did they say after he hurt his shoulder? His arm, we can't have him at Miami. You got to go get Culpepper because we don't want him. He ended up in New Orleans in a dome and became a great quarterback and won a Super Bowl. So for me Shedeur Sanders makes perfect sense. It did then, it does now.”

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As things currently stand, it seems unlikely that Sanders will go early on in the draft, despite the fact that the Cleveland Browns and New York Giants have needs at the quarterback position. Cam Ward is expected to go with the No. 1 pick to the Tennessee Titans, while the current thought is that the Browns and Giants will pick Travis Hunter and Abdul Carter, as those two are elite prospects and not worth passing on for Sanders. However, it can't be completely ruled out that Sanders goes in one of those two spots.

The Saints have a pressing need at quarterback, especially with Derek Carr's status in question for 2025. If Sanders makes it to No. 9, it will be interesting to see of the Saints pull the trigger, as they have not taken a signal caller in the 1st round of the NFL Draft since 1971, when they took Archie Manning.