Is Shedeur Sanders the Next Johnny Manziel?

This is a question that begs to be asked after what we’ve seen out of Colorado quarterback (QB) Shedeur Sanders lately.

It is also likely NFL teams will be asking themselves this question in their pre-draft meetings.

This isn’t some unfounded hot take and I don’t do anything for clicks.

Unsportsmanlike conduct has become a very real part of Sanders’ evaluation.

Unsportsmanlike conduct during games is concerning to clubs when evaluating college talent.

A reoccurring pattern of it is even more concerning.

Talent aside, teams are now forced to ask themselves if they want someone who has shown he can’t control himself on the field as the face of their franchise.

It’s a shame too because Sanders has shown some good things from a pure talent evaluation standpoint, however, these performances have become overshadowed by his behavior.

It’s happened two weeks in a row against Nebraska and Colorado State. In the Colorado State game, it surfaced multiple times. I didn’t do this, he did. I’m just asking the question.

Is this who he is?

Sanders in the Nebraska game

With this game firmly in hand in the fourth quarter, Sanders makes what appears to be a great athletic play, but then draws an unsportsmanlike conduct call.

While this was neither here nor there with the outcome of the game. It’s a behavior nonetheless.

By itself, it probably wouldn’t be that big of a deal and I wouldn’t even write about it. Players do this kind of thing from time to time and it’s not that outrageous. However, it’s part of a larger picture that showed up again.

Sanders in the Colorado State game

This is the game where Sanders showed even more loss of control.

It started with a pre-game scuffle that he was involved with.

Then things heated up again with Sanders getting into it with a Colorado State player after a late hit.

During the same game, Sanders chose to blatantly poke a Colorado State defender in the eye. The defender has his hands on his hips and does not look like he’s even provoking Sanders at the moment.

Scouting conclusion

I learned during my time in the league and since being out from a close friendship with a former team executive that teams put a lot of stock and work into background and character.

This is especially true for prospects teams are considering in the higher rounds of the draft.

The season is only three games old for Colorado and already Sanders has given league decision makers a lot to contemplate.

That’s not all Sanders did during the Colorado State game, he also did this with his watch (see video below), which is also revealing in terms of character. He did the same thing with the watch against Nebraska. If I am a scout sitting in pre-draft meetings, this is the stuff I am also bringing up about Sanders outside of his performance evaluation. This is not a ‘one-off,’ or ‘in the heat of battle’ type thing. This has become a pattern of behavior, and whether or not it goes dormant (and he manages it better) because of what’s at stake in the draft, it’s clearly in him and it’s likely to be seen again.

Bottom line: He’s not responding well to a larger stage in terms of his conduct and the NFL stage is only larger.

After recently watching the Manziel documentary on Netflix, I can’t help to draw the comparison to the former Browns’ selection in the 2014 NFL Draft. He was another one who became larger than college football and struggled with immaturity and uncontrollable behavior.

Does Sanders remind you of Manziel?

Daniel Kelly is a former NFL Scout with the New York Jets. He was hired on the regime which featured Bill Parcells, Bill Belichick, Scott Pioli, Mike Tannenbaum, and Dick Haley. He is currently the Editor-in-Chief for First Round Mock, contributes at Yardbarker, and has written for Sports Illustrated Lions, Jets, and 49ers, as well as a featured guest on ESPN Radio and Fox Sports Radio. For more information about him visit his website at whateverittakesbook.com. He can be followed on Twitter @firstroundmock.