There is no doubt former Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders has ice in his veins and will lead his team down the field in a two-minute offense to score a go-ahead touchdown for the win. But the question that everyone is asking today is why is he still on the draft board when he was considered the best QB by some, including ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr.?
Several teams that needed a quarterback spent plenty of time with Sanders, and for that matter, his father. All the way up to last week before the draft, they had him work out for their organization, making sure there wasn’t anything they missed before the final decision was made public.
The Sanders critics knew there was something in the Kool-Aid that wasn’t tasting right, and wanted an answer as to why? Well, there were a few glaring things that most of the analysts paid attention to, but didn’t disclose until right before the draft that were pretty alarming. It caused this cerebral athlete to slide down the draft board.
The 2025 NFL Draft article from Tom Pelissero didn’t help Shedeur’s case for being a top two quarterback in the draft. Ole Miss’ Jaxson Dart was discussed more as runner-up on the board by some analysts, causing them to be frowned upon because they began to dissect his game even further. Something most analysts hadn’t done in the two years Sanders was under center at Colorado.
A few things that stood out were his arm strength, taking over games making sure he left his mark, and his progressions during the Nebraska game when Sanders was sacked five times and threw a pick-six.
One analyst talked about how the Cornhuskers defense played a pro-style scheme, with two high safeties against the Buffs and Sanders wasn’t able to read his progressions to make the proper throws. The offensive line has always been Sanders’ savior when he had a rough day at the office, but many of these NFL executives and coaches wanted to see how he would respond in these situations and have yet to get the answers they desire.
We can all agree Sanders is one hell of a quarterback. If he’s given time in the pocket to throw passes to open receivers he thrives. However, the organizations that were looking for quarterbacks in the first round needed a mobile player. Sanders is able to run the ball, but that is not his game.
The comments Coach Prime made in the past about ‘pulling an Eli’, may have hurt more than it helped his son’s situation. Not to mention, the stat padding when games are out of reach, or taking sacks instead of throwing the ball away to make his completion percentage look better than it really was. Many NFL execs and coaches wonder what the finished product looks like past the highly influential ‘Daddy ball’ Shedeur is used to fitting in. These are all undisputed facts. If you don’t believe what I’m saying, here are two quotes from Pelissero’s pieces.
Related: Multiple NFL executives bluntly dismiss Shedeur Sanders in final review
“The dude’s only played for his dad,” one AFC coordinator said. ”When things go wrong, it’s not his fault. He takes a sack, he blames the O-line. He can make the throws. He’s got good accuracy. But does he lock on No. 1 and home in on him? And does the offense tailor for him to read it out?”
It’s hard to argue why Sanders fell out of the first round when one of the coaches had this opinion
“The worst formal interview I’ve ever been in in my life,” a longtime assistant coach said. “He’s so entitled. He takes unnecessary sacks. He never plays on time. He has horrible body language. He blames teammates. … But the biggest thing is, he’s not that good.”
Shedeur will get drafted by a team on Friday, ending all of the speculation of whether he will or not. But as time goes on and he’s studying the playbook of the NFL team he’s playing for, he will begin to evaluate himself and wonder about a few things.
Was the jersey number retirement justified with a 13-12 record as a starter? Also, did that move force NFL teams to look at him and CU differently?
Related: Shedeur Sanders retirement being ‘forced’ by Deion, says Denver reporter
Never being held accountable by his Pro Football Hall of Fame father and coach could be the ultimate reason why he slid so far in the draft. It’s either that or analysts glossed over the fact that sitting at the “cool kids table” with Coach Prime and his son was more important than being honest and critiquing his play on the field.
Sanders would’ve been in better shape to go early in the draft. Tonight will be interesting to see who picks him up and molds the next stage of his career. However, there is one parting shot to consider here.
When Sanders was at Jackson State and climbing into the national spotlight, he was projected to go in the second or third round of the draft. What happened from then to now that has kept him in the same projected spot? It’s not his talent, but the system he’s working in.
Shedeur’s best case scenario in the NFL will be to break away and reinvent himself.
There is no doubt former Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders has ice in his veins and will lead his team down the field in a two-minute offense to score a go-ahead touchdown for the win. But the question that everyone is asking today is why is he still on the draft board when he was considered the best QB by some, including ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr.?
Several teams that needed a quarterback spent plenty of time with Sanders, and for that matter, his father. All the way up to last week before the draft, they had him work out for their organization, making sure there wasn’t anything they missed before the final decision was made public.
The Sanders critics knew there was something in the Kool-Aid that wasn’t tasting right, and wanted an answer as to why? Well, there were a few glaring things that most of the analysts paid attention to, but didn’t disclose until right before the draft that were pretty alarming. It caused this cerebral athlete to slide down the draft board.
The 2025 NFL Draft article from Tom Pelissero didn’t help Shedeur’s case for being a top two quarterback in the draft. Ole Miss’ Jaxson Dart was discussed more as runner-up on the board by some analysts, causing them to be frowned upon because they began to dissect his game even further. Something most analysts hadn’t done in the two years Sanders was under center at Colorado.
A few things that stood out were his arm strength, taking over games making sure he left his mark, and his progressions during the Nebraska game when Sanders was sacked five times and threw a pick-six.
One analyst talked about how the Cornhuskers defense played a pro-style scheme, with two high safeties against the Buffs and Sanders wasn’t able to read his progressions to make the proper throws. The offensive line has always been Sanders’ savior when he had a rough day at the office, but many of these NFL executives and coaches wanted to see how he would respond in these situations and have yet to get the answers they desire.
We can all agree Sanders is one hell of a quarterback. If he’s given time in the pocket to throw passes to open receivers he thrives. However, the organizations that were looking for quarterbacks in the first round needed a mobile player. Sanders is able to run the ball, but that is not his game.
The comments Coach Prime made in the past about ‘pulling an Eli’, may have hurt more than it helped his son’s situation. Not to mention, the stat padding when games are out of reach, or taking sacks instead of throwing the ball away to make his completion percentage look better than it really was. Many NFL execs and coaches wonder what the finished product looks like past the highly influential ‘Daddy ball’ Shedeur is used to fitting in. These are all undisputed facts. If you don’t believe what I’m saying, here are two quotes from Pelissero’s pieces.
Related: Multiple NFL executives bluntly dismiss Shedeur Sanders in final review
“The dude’s only played for his dad,” one AFC coordinator said. ”When things go wrong, it’s not his fault. He takes a sack, he blames the O-line. He can make the throws. He’s got good accuracy. But does he lock on No. 1 and home in on him? And does the offense tailor for him to read it out?”
It’s hard to argue why Sanders fell out of the first round when one of the coaches had this opinion
“The worst formal interview I’ve ever been in in my life,” a longtime assistant coach said. “He’s so entitled. He takes unnecessary sacks. He never plays on time. He has horrible body language. He blames teammates. … But the biggest thing is, he’s not that good.”
Shedeur will get drafted by a team on Friday, ending all of the speculation of whether he will or not. But as time goes on and he’s studying the playbook of the NFL team he’s playing for, he will begin to evaluate himself and wonder about a few things.
Was the jersey number retirement justified with a 13-12 record as a starter? Also, did that move force NFL teams to look at him and CU differently?
Related: Shedeur Sanders retirement being ‘forced’ by Deion, says Denver reporter
Never being held accountable by his Pro Football Hall of Fame father and coach could be the ultimate reason why he slid so far in the draft. It’s either that or analysts glossed over the fact that sitting at the “cool kids table” with Coach Prime and his son was more important than being honest and critiquing his play on the field.
Sanders would’ve been in better shape to go early in the draft. Tonight will be interesting to see who picks him up and molds the next stage of his career. However, there is one parting shot to consider here.
When Sanders was at Jackson State and climbing into the national spotlight, he was projected to go in the second or third round of the draft. What happened from then to now that has kept him in the same projected spot? It’s not his talent, but the system he’s working in.
Shedeur’s best case scenario in the NFL will be to break away and reinvent himself.
