New York Giants ‘shocked’ NFL by passing on QB in 2024 NFL Draft

One NFL general manager, whose team could be in the quarterback draft market in 2025, said: “Absolutely, he was a first-round pick. Absolutely. There would have been seven [taken in the first round]. We obviously didn’t do as much work on him as the other quarterbacks once he announced he wasn’t coming out, but he would have been in the top three [quarterbacks] for us this year, I think, had he gone through the entire process. He probably would have been up there with Williams and Daniels.”

One agent who was involved in recruiting many members of the 2024 quarterback class and is preparing for the same in 2025 said: “He would have been under serious consideration with Washington [at the second pick] if he doesn’t stay in school. I honestly believe that, based on some of what I picked up through this process. This kid can really play. He’s got good accuracy. He can let it rip. He’s not a sprinter, but he’s more than athletic enough. He’s got some charisma to him. He has strong leadership traits. He’s more than tough enough.

“Now, his father is a total loose cannon, and this kid goes against Bill Parcells’s doctrine about the celebrity quarterback. … But that’s becoming more and more antiquated anyway, isn’t it?”

As a passer, I believe Shedeur is a bit underrated, mainly because he played behind arguably the worst offensive line last year and wasn’t able to show all of his abilities consistently. In the pocket, Sanders shows the poise to feel pressure well with a good internal clock and is also underrated as an anticipatory thrower as he shows good timing when his receivers get open. As a decision-maker, Sander doesn’t get enough credit. He excels at avoiding bad throws and protecting the ball with smart decisions. When you watch him play, he takes his time, and if the throwing lane is not there, he will move on to the next progression or extend with his legs.

Shedeur is the best athlete of the three, in my opinion; he is a smooth athlete and nimble in space; when he extends play, he can be a legitimate threat to pick up chunk yards if you forget about him. When he extends or steps up into the pocket, Shedeur demonstrates nice footwork to reset and deliver when he finds an open man; and throws a tight/accurate ball as a result. Sander’s touch and overall placement on throws downfield is another strength of his. Whether back shoulder or leading his man, he’s able to place the ball well.

Carson Beck, Georgia

“I think he’ll be the No. 1 overall pick,” said one veteran SEC defensive coordinator. “A few things really stood out to me after playing him. He runs better than you think because he doesn’t do it often and he has such a quick release. He gets rid of it fast as s—. And he’s really intelligent. He’s one of the few quarterbacks who doesn’t look to the sidelines all the time. We were showing 0 (blitz) and he got them into a little quick screen. He’s really impressive.”

Gordon:

In my opinion, Beck is the best of the three quarterbacks going into next season. From a measurable standpoint, he possesses the ideal size, standing 6-4, 215. Pre- and post-snap, he displays an exceptional ability to process vs. Man and Zone coverage, throws with great anticipation, and is extremely accurate to all levels; he also shows a nice touch to take something off and drop it into tight windows.

Beck also possesses a plus arm to make all the throws and thread the needle in tight windows when necessary. Beck won’t shred a defense with his legs in space but he has very good pocket presence to feel pressure in the pocket, he is a good enough athlete to evade initial pressure and extend the play and can sneak for a first down and pick up yards in space when there is an opening. When extending plays and working outside the pocket, Beck is very smart, too; he does a good job keeping his head to find receivers working back to him; he is very accurate with placement. Although he shows the ability to make deep throws, there is some inconsistency with placement in tight windows. That’s an area of his I would like to see improvement on in 2024.