The final destination of Shedeur Sanders remains one of the biggest mysteries of the 2025 NFL Draft. Analysts have proposed that at least four teams could select the former Colorado star, yet the pool of interested candidates continues to grow. Recently, an insider floated the idea that the 49ers might draft Sanders, despite Brock Purdy still being on their roster.
With the draft just days away, Shedeur Sanders is dominating discussions in nearly every mock draft. Once considered a top-three prospect in this class, his stock has taken a hit, dropping him to an early second-round projection. Now, many experts believe he’ll go in the mid-first round.
Almost every team in need of a quarterback has been linked to Deion Sanders’s son-from the Tennessee Titans and Pittsburgh Steelers to the New York Giants and Las Vegas Raiders. However, Sports Illustrated’s Grant Cohn has now added the San Francisco 49ers to the mix, though the reasoning behind their interest might surprise some.
Are the 49ers playing possum?
On his YouTube channel, Cohn speculated that the 49ers might be quietly biding their time, hoping for Sanders to fall to No. 12. “Maybe they’re just lying in the weeds, playing possum and not saying anything. Then all of a sudden, when Shedeur Sanders is on the board at 12 or Jaxson Dart,” he suggested.
The analyst believes the team might draft Shedeur as a bargaining chip in future negotiations with Brock Purdy. Despite Purdy’s slump in 2024, which left the 49ers at the bottom of the NFC West, he is familiar with the system and, when healthy, is fully capable of leading the team to success.
Purdy is entering the final year of his current contract, with some analysts predicting his next deal could command as much as $50 million per season. By adding Shedeur to the roster, and after signing Mac Jones in free agency, the 49ers could apply pressure on Purdy to agree to a more team-friendly deal.
A lesson from the Lance era
Cohn recalled the 2021 draft, where the 49ers executed a bold move-giving up three first-round picks to trade up and select quarterback Trey Lance at No. 3 overall. However, Lance’s tenure in San Francisco lasted just three years before he was traded to the Cowboys.
According to Cohn, the team initially intended to draft Mac Jones but pivoted to Lance instead. This time, the analyst assured, the 49ers won’t repeat that mistake. If San Francisco truly wants Shedeur Sanders, they’ll patiently wait for him to fall into their lap.
Cohn’s theory, however, may not hold water. The 49ers already have a reliable starter in Purdy and, with Jones as a backup, appear to have sufficient depth at quarterback. Furthermore, the team has pressing needs at cornerback, linebacker, and offensive tackle that may take precedence over selecting another quarterback in the first round.
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