Jayden Daniels, Caleb Williams, Drake Maye and Bo Nix have all impressed at times during their rookie seasons after they were first-round picks in the 2024 NFL draft, but Shedeur Sanders feels like he would have been better than all of them had he declared last year.

"I feel like I was the best quarterback in the last draft, too," the Colorado quarterback told reporters Thursday when asked why he believes he is the best signal-caller in this year's draft class.

While Sanders has played extremely well this season and has the Buffaloes in the middle of the College Football Playoff race, it is still a head-turning assessment.

After all, Williams, Daniels and Maye went in the first three picks of the 2024 draft and were closely followed by Michael Penix Jr. (No. 8 overall), J.J. McCarthy (No. 10 overall) and Nix (No. 12 overall) in a loaded quarterback draft class.

McCarthy and Penix haven't had the opportunity to prove what they can do because of an injury to the former and the latter's spot behind Kirk Cousins on the Atlanta Falcons' depth chart, but the others all look like the franchise quarterback for years to come for their respective franchises.

And Daniels has the Washington Commanders in playoff position in the NFC, while Nix has the Denver Broncos in the same position in the AFC.

Still, Sanders figures to be a high draft pick as well and could quickly become a franchise quarterback competing for playoff positioning. B/R's NFL Scouting Department projected him as the first signal-caller and No. 3 overall player chosen behind teammate Travis Hunter and Michigan cornerback Will Johnson in its latest mock draft.

Colorado is one of the biggest success stories of the entire 2024 campaign, as it was just 4-8 last season and seemed well on its way to another dismal campaign when it was blown out by Nebraska in the second game this season.

However, it is now 8-2 overall and 6-1 in the Big 12 and controls its own destiny in the conference with remaining games against Kansas and Oklahoma State. A conference title will likely put it in the College Football Playoff, which will give Sanders the opportunity to play under an even brighter spotlight against elevated competition.

NFL scouts and teams looking for quarterback help will surely be paying attention if that becomes a reality, and his performance could determine whether he is selected ahead of Cam Ward, Garrett Nussmeier and other top prospects in April's draft.