Shedeur Sanders looked every bit a fifth-round pick to close out the season

Chad Porto

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Shedeur Sanders looked every bit a fifth-round pick to close out the season image

After eight games and a lot of conversations about Shedeur Sanders, it's fair to say that Sanders struggled as a rookie. The fifth-round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft has a lot of supporters and a lot of detractors. A lot of people think he's playing better than he did, and a lot of people are saying he played worse than he did. 

He's a rookie quarterback, drafted in the fifth round, and played just like a fifth-round pick is expected to as a rookie. That's not an indictment of his talent, nor is it a statement that suggests he'll become a Pro Bowler. It's just a statement of fact. Fifth-round picks don't normally have huge rookie seasons, especially as a rookie quarterback. 

Thanks to an article from For The Win, we have an idea of what to expect from fifth-round rookie picks. These 10 men went on to have notable (not necessarily good) NFL careers, which include Spencer Rattler, Sam Howell, Mike White, Nathan Peterman, Brett Hundley, Josh Jonhson, Troy Smith, Dan Orlovsky, Mark Brunell, and Steve Grogan.

From them, we can extrapolate what an expected fifth-round quarterback can and should do as a rookie. Based on the 10 names in the aforementioned article, the average 5th-round rookie should expect to put up a completion percentage of 53.914%, with 597.9 yards for the season, 2.9 touchdowns, 4.6 interceptions, a win/loss record of 0.5 and two, while putting up a QB rating of 56.73 on the year. 

Sanders finished with a percentage of 56.6%, with 1,400 yards, seven touchdowns, 11 interceptions, a win/loss of 3-4, and a rating of 68.1. So, against the average fifth-round starter, he's actually ahead of the curve. However, he put up very comparable numbers to those of the Saints' former starter, Rattler. Despite similar rookie years, Rattler isn't viewed as the face of the Saints' franchise in 2025.

More: We now know where Cleveland Browns' first-round pick will land in 2026 NFL draft

That said, as a rookie, Rattler had a better percentage than Sanders (57%), fewer touchdowns (4), fewer interceptions (5), and a better quarterback rating (70.4). In fact, of the 11 quarterbacks, including Sanders, Sanders had only the fifth-best rating among the 5th-round picks we've discussed today. Some had far fewer opportunities than Sanders, but the overwhelming observation is that Sanders played as expected of a fifth-round pick.

He didn't have a lot of help, but most of these quarterbacks didn't either. In fact, most of these players actively handcuffed their teams by struggling in the offense or by turning the ball over a lot. The only quarterback who you could argue didn't struggle was Smith of the Baltimore Ravens. He posted a positive TD: INT ratio with two touchdowns and no interceptions.

Now, none of that is to write Sanders off, nor is it to throw his teammates under the bus. After all, great rookie quarterbacks can elevate bad teams. Just look at Washington's Jayden Daniels and Houston's C.J. Stroud. They came into "bad teams" and rewrote their squad's narrative as rookies. If Sanders is a franchise quarterback, that's what's expected of him to do.

Still, sometimes players need time to develop, and maybe Sanders can. He needs another season or two to fully come into what he will be in the league.

After all, there is precedence to think a fifth-rounder can do just that. Look at Brunell, who went on to become a franchise legend with the Jacksonville Jaguars and was the team's best quarterback ever until Trevor Lawrence came to town. Sanders shouldn't be written off just because of his poor rookie season or his fifth-round stats.  

There are examples of late-round picks going on to find great success in the NFL. Guys like Marc Bulger, Brad Johnson, Matt Hasselbeck, Mark Rypien, Bart Starr, Roger Staubach, and Tom Brady all went in the sixth round or later and went on to success in the NFL. So,all we can really do is wait and see what happens next.

Senior Editor