After the L.A. Rams started 0-2, panic ensued throughout Hollywood which led to some wild takes. One absolutely ridiculous take included whether LA should trade star quarterback Matthew Stafford to any team desperate for help under center. While the rumors have cooled for now following the Rams’ potentially season-saving win over the 49ers, that shouldn’t prevent the front office from looking into Stafford’s replacement in next year’s draft.
Blake Brockermeyer of CBS Sports mocked Colorado QB and dark-horse Heisman contender Shedeur Sanders to the Rams as Stafford’s potential successor with the ninth overall pick in his 2025 mock draft.
“The Rams need to start thinking about a replacement for Hall of Famer Matt Stafford. Sanders has the ability to be a top quarterback and can layer the ball into all three levels of the field. He is a big-time prospect with all the tools to be a top quarterback. However, he seems immature off the field, and that could hurt his stock with some teams.”
Sanders was the third signal caller selected in Brockermeyer’s draft after Miami’s Cam Ward (No. 3 overall to the Giants) and Quinn Ewers from Texas (No. 7 to the Raiders).
The Buffaloes starter began his college football career with the Jackson State Tigers from 2021-22. In those two seasons, Sanders had 79 total touchdowns and finished with a 23-3 record as a starter, winning the Jerry Rice Award and the Deacon Jones Trophy in back-to-back campaigns. The second Sanders followed his Hall of Fame dad to Boulder, he began his Colorado career with a bang in a win over 17th-ranked TCU.
Through 15 games at Colorado, Sanders has completed 68.9% of his passes for 4,570 yards and a 38-5 touchdown-to-interception ratio, including 12 total touchdowns in the Buffaloes’ first four games. There is a clear reason why 247Sports’ Cody Nagel placed Shedeur atop his Big 12 quarterback rankings:
“The Colorado offense would be completely out of sync without their star passer. There is a reason he is already regarded as one of the top quarterback prospects for the 2025 NFL Draft, and Sanders is thriving despite a porous offensive line and a nonexistent run game to ease the pressure. Sanders ranks first among eligible Big 12 quarterbacks in turnover worthy play rate (0.5%).”
Sanders is a polarizing prospect, yet he will likely be one of the top passers taken in the 2025 NFL draft anyway. His immaturity and personality could be a turn-off for several teams, but that could play to his advantage. A big personality would likely cause Sanders to fit right into a Hollywood lifestyle with ease.
I believe Sanders might be an interesting pairing with Sean McVay. The Rams coach appears to desire working with a mobile QB and Sanders can navigate around the pocket (a necessity given Colorado’s porous O-line) and make all sorts of plays with his legs.
Like anything in the NFL, anything can happen between now and draft day. Meaning, Shedeur Sanders’ stock could either go up or down as the college football season progresses. Regardless of what happens, the Rams must be prepared for life after Matthew Stafford and this coming offseason would be a great place to start.
