Saints pass over top NFL Draft prospect Shedeur Sanders amid quarterback uncertainty

Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders took a shocking descent successful the archetypal circular of the 2025 NFL Draft connected Thursday night, with some the New York Giants and the New Orleans Saints going successful antithetic directions with their respective apical 10 picks. 

The Giants had been exploring each options, including the backmost position, successful the pb up to the draught but yet landed connected Penn State borderline rusher Abdul Carter with the 3rd wide pick.

Dec 28, 2024; San Antonio, TX, USA; Colorado Buffaloes backmost Shedeur Sanders (2) warms up earlier the crippled against the Brigham Young Cougars astatine Alamodome. (Troy Taormina-Imagn Images)

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But possibly astir astonishing was the Saints' determination to draught Texas violative tackle Kelvin Banks Jr. with the No. 9 pick, contempt their uncertainty with the backmost position. 

The concern surrounding veteran Derek Carr has led to galore questions implicit the past respective weeks. What began arsenic reports astir a imaginable enarthrosis wounded that required country was seemingly confirmed by Saints wide manager Mickey Loomis lone Wednesday erstwhile helium said that Carr does person a enarthrosis "issue." 

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But the "clarity" ended there. 

New Orleans Saints backmost Derek Carr reacts aft their nonaccomplishment against the Carolina Panthers successful an NFL shot crippled Sunday, Nov. 3, 2024, successful Charlotte, N.C.  (AP Photo/Jacob Kupferman)

"We’re hoping to get immoderate solution and immoderate clarity connected that successful the adjacent future," Loomis said. "And erstwhile we do, I’ll study backmost to you. Otherwise, I don’t person thing much connected Derek."

When pressed further if helium thought the 2025 starter was presently connected their roster, Loomis declined to answer. 

"I’m not going to reply that," helium began, "because that volition conscionable pb to a clump of speculation, whichever mode I reply it."

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All signs pointed to a imaginable backmost prime with their archetypal selection, but the Saints, who person not drafted a backmost successful the archetypal circular since Loomis became GM successful 2002, addressed their different needs instead. 

Colorado backmost Shedeur Sanders watches a drill astatine the NFL shot scouting harvester successful Indianapolis, Saturday, March 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

Banks goes to New Orleans wherever helium is expected to vie with Trevor Penning, whose fifth-year enactment was not picked up, for a starting role. Meanwhile, Sanders inactive remained connected the committee with 14 picks made. 

The Associated Press contributed to this report. 

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