Outlook for Shedeur Sanders

By: Jake Rajala

The New Orleans Saints are the betting favorite to draft Shedeur Sanders. Of course, Cam Ward will very likely be drafted first overall. Shedeur Sanders is the second best option – as he is projected to be a Top-10 pick. With that said, I’m going to simply untwine the pros and cons of the Saints drafting Shedeur Sanders.

Pros:

Long-term

It’s simple enough: Shedeur Sanders can be the long-term answer at QB. Derek Carr is 34 years old – which means he will likely play 3-5 more seasons at most. Shedeur Sanders could start for the Saints for 15 years! Even if Shedeur Sanders is drafted, he could sit for a couple of seasons, similar to Jordan Love and even Patrick Mahomes not starting right away.

Scheme

Shedeur Sanders may be able to utilize the weapons better than Carr. It was evident that Sanders could really launch the football at his pro day. Luckily, the Saints have Rashid Shaheed and Brandin Cooks, who are prolific deep threats.

Cons:

• Spencer Rattler

I don’t believe that it’s time to throw in the towel on Spencer Rattler not being the long-term answer at QB. He made magic happen often, which is impressive given that he was often playing with back-up weapons. Rattler’s arm talent is off the charts. He may be ready to be a QB1 after combining experience with his arm talent. If Sanders is taken, it will be hard for Rattler to grow with Sanders and Carr on the roster.

• Carr’s deal

The Saints are heavily invested in Carr. If they draft Shedeur Sanders, there’s a strong possibility he will take the reigns away from Carr. If that occurs, Carr would be a very expensive QB2. On the flip-side, Carr isn’t being paid like a Top-10 QB, so it wouldn’t be completely disastrous.

The Saints have a lot of toys on offense to put up fireworks. I believe they have a few options to start at QB next season. If Sanders is their guy, then they will be in good hands, in my humble opinion.