Why pick him and not have him compete? You take Gabriel in the 3rd because he's a safe pick. Kid is a Saint off the field, but his upside is very limited. Naming Flacco the starter without seeing what the young guys can do isn't smart football. There's no future there. We don't even know how he will look with another year of wear and tear behind him. The man is 40 years old and was no Tom Brady or Peyton Manning in his prime.
Sanders, despite what people on this board are saying, can play in the pros. He completed 71.8% of his passes at Colorado and showed the ability to make all of the throws needed to run an NFL offense. Attitude is supposedly an issue. None of us can speak on the interviews throughout the draft process, but from a physical standpoint, he has the ability. That doesn't mean he will for sure win the job, but to say he definitely won't is an impossible assessment to make without seeing how he performs in camp.