Gene Clemons presents the 2025 NFL Draft QB prospect comparison between Sheduer Sanders and Cam Ward.

As a coach, people constantly ask me who I want between Cam Ward and Shedeur Sanders, the top two quarterbacks in the NFL Draft this season. Let me start by saying that I would love to coach either of these prospects. If you told me today that I was going to coach either I would be extremely excited. Saying that would be considered fence riding, however, and since I believe there are enough people tap dancing on the top pole I will do my best to explain who I would choose… and why. 

First let’s dispel some myths that have been bantered about early in this postseason evaluation period. 

“Sanders lacks arm strength” 

What does arm strength mean in the grand scheme of the game? The NFL has been full of guys who can launch it a country mile, including guys who do not play the position. What makes Ward’s arm strength impressive is that he can deliver the football accurately. Well someone please explain to me how Sanders became the all-time leader in completion percentage if he does not have arm strength. His 8.67 yards per pass attempt was good for 11th in the country and he still completed 74% of his passes in 2024. None of that could happen if he did not possess the arm strength to get the ball to his receivers. Throwing the ball with anticipation and understanding of coverages means that he never needs to rely on a “big arm,” but his throwing mechanics are so fluid that we may actually have no idea how far he could truly sling it because he never puts himself in position to need to sling it that far.

“These two are not on the same level as the 2023 class”

Every time I hear this, it feels like revisionist history based on what we have seen the ‘23 class do as rookies but before the 2024 NFL Draft there were a lot of discussions about Sanders and Ward being in the discussion with all of the quarterback prospects except Caleb Williams. People were questioning whether Bo Nix, J.J. McCarthy, and Michael Penix would even go in the first round. There were questions about Jayden Daniels' size and decision making when he broke the pocket early in the process. Sanders and Ward were both among those quarterbacks. Most of them came back to college to try and raise their draft profiles. So Sanders and Ward came back and had two of the best seasons in recent College Football history, but now with an additional season of production they somehow are worse than they were last season. It's a ridiculous narrative. 

“They need to go to a system that fits them”

This is another ridiculous statement by people who clearly have not watched these two prospects ascend. Both players have operated in multiple offenses during their time in college. Ward played for three different programs: Incarnate Word, Washington State and Miami. He had two different offensive coordinators at Washington State. Sanders had a different coordinator every season he was in college and all of those coordinators had distinctly different philosophies. Both have had tremendous success in all of those offenses. So the idea that they can only be successful in a certain style of offense is crazy. Ward and Sanders have the ability to adapt to any offense they need to operate. 

Arm Strength

Ward has the superior arm strength of the two. He can really flick it effortlessly. When he throws the football, it cuts through the air. It allows him to rifle the ball out on short passes to the opposite side of the field and over the middle between defenders. There is a suddenness to his throws that you do not see from Sanders’ passes. It is also great for “now” screens. Sanders has plenty of arm and he uses it wisely. but it is obvious that Ward had the better arm.

Accuracy

Sanders holds the edge in accuracy, after all he is the all-time completion percentage leader. Completing that high of a percentage while defenders are bearing down on him or running away from defenders is merely an illustration of his skills. On deep passes he places the ball in the areas where only his receivers can catch it and he also hits receivers in stride in the open field. Ward is pretty darn accurate as well and he will trust his arm strength to fit into spaces some would not dare. The impressive part about Sanders' accuracy is that he uses anticipation to counterbalance what he may lack in strength. He is throwing into the future because when he releases the ball the receiver is rarely where he will be when the ball hits his hands. 

Pocket Manipulation

This one gets more difficult to choose because both are excellent at manipulating the pocket. It cannot be undersold that Ward clearly was more protected this past season in Miami. In past seasons—and even at times in 2024—he showed the ability to extend plays and allow receivers to work down the field. 

Yes, the Colorado offensive line was better than it was in 2023, but it still was not great. The Buffaloes' best two blockers were freshmen who had to figure out the speed and physicality in real time. They had some turnover at other positions. This left Sanders constantly maneuvering in the pocket. He is really good and moving away from the momentum of the pass rusher and creating more time to get the pass off. Yes, sometimes he holds the ball too long but like all of the best quarterbacks in the NFL currently do, he knows that giving his receivers the extra second to break free can result in big gains or even touchdowns, which it did on many occasions over the last four seasons. I would give Sanders the nod here. 

Running Ability

It is interesting to see when evaluators decide to value running ability. This has come up in discussions about these two players. Somehow people have decided that Shedeur Sanders cannot run because he is not as fast as his father, but who is other than Lamar Jackson and Jayden Daniels? The truth is that he is fast enough to make you pay if you do not acknowledge his ability to run. Very similar to Joe Burrow, who is not going to win any races, he can pick up first downs and chunks of yards. Sanders had 4 rushing touchdowns in back-to-back seasons at Colorado. They were not a bunch of 1-yard runs. 

Ward comes from a running background in high school. However, as a collegiate he has not focused on running. You still see him unleash the ability from time to time and that is what excites a coach. He has a legitimate ability to take off and do real damage with his legs. Over the past three seasons he has 17 rushing touchdowns. He would be a much more dangerous runner than Sanders so he gets the nod. 

The Deciding Factor: Ability to handle pressure!

This is not to tell you that Ward can’t handle pressure. He has navigated his situation perfectly and taken full advantage of opportunities, but he has not dealt with anything near the amount of scrutiny and hate that Sanders has endured during his career. As a prep QB Sanders was undervalued, not because he was not talented but because so many said that he was only playing because of his father. That really hurt his recruitment and led to him originally committing to FAU. When he decided to change his commitment and sign with Jackson State, people claimed Sanders was only starting as a freshman because of “Daddy Ball” and that he did not earn the opportunity through his play. After two stellar seasons at JSU, where he earned every FCS accolade possible, his move to Colorado was met with doubt that he could duplicate his success at the then Power 5 level. At every turn he had to deal with scrutiny, not because of his play, but because of his last name. At every turn he handled it with maturity and never let it get to him.

The callus that he has built throughout his many years in this game and dealing with people waiting for him to fail so they could pounce, will serve him well in the NFL. The fans and media can be fickle and unrelenting when things are not going well and unfortunately as a top pick, you are normally going to situations that are not the greatest. A quarterback may need to navigate a lack of weapons, offensive line, changing coordinators and all the while the outside world is looking to the QB to be a hero or a heel. 

Nobody is more uniquely qualified to handle the pressure and the spotlight that comes with being an NFL quarterback than Sanders. It is for that reason, that he would be my choice.