Shedeur Sanders Produces NFL Red Flags Against Nebraska

The Nebraska game was one of the more challenging games to evaluate Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders.

Why?

He didn’t look half bad through my NFL colored glasses against Nebraska despite his team losing 28-10, but his conduct and choice of words was alarming by NFL standards.

Granted, Sanders didn’t look as good as he did the week prior against North Dakota State University (NDSU), but that’s easily explained.

North Dakota plays in the FCS and Nebraska plays in the FBS. Nebraska was tougher. Nebraska was a higher level of competition, which is a piece to the evaluation puzzle.

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How did Sanders grade by NFL standards?

oA wide bridge exists between college football and the NFL due to the increased speed and complexity of the game at the next level. However, there are some basic things I look for when studying college quarterbacks and projecting them to the NFL:

• Going through progressions (moving his head around and making multiple pre-throw reads)
• Quick and accurate throwing decisions
• Downfield ball placement
• Ball security (protecting the football and not getting passes defended or intercepted)

NDSU: A

Nebraska: C –

Sanders was more inconsistent in this one going through his progressions. He tended to lock in with his receivers and seemed to go more ‘into his shell.’ He also held the ball too long at times again, which has been an issue over the past two seasons at Colorado and when he played at FCS Jackson State.

Ball security was also an issue against Nebraska with two passes defended that I charted and one ugly pick 6. He stood there in the endzone with a look of disbelief, even though his dad (Deion Sanders) became a Hall of Fame cornerback off throws like that.

WHAT ARE WE DOING HERE?

I also didn’t like when he had one of his receivers open (#12 Travis Hunter), but instead he choose to eat a sack.

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Unsportsmanlike Conduct

This is where the concerns for me intensify.

I was never a big Sanders guy to begin with. I had a 6th Round grade on him at FCS Jackson State (3 games evaluated) and I moved him down to an UDFA (undraftable free agent) on my draft board after evaluating 10 of his games last season at Colorado.

Both seasons I saw him as an NFL practice squad prospect.

While there are things that concern me about Sanders as a quarterback prospect in terms of his game, I am becoming even more concerned about Sanders the person and I believe NFL teams will share my character concerns.

If it wasn’t bad enough with him shoving his Rolex up our screens and poking that Colorado State defender in the eyes last season, now we have more to add to the list.

He walked off the field before this game was over and he refused to shake hands with Nebraska.

THE EVIDENCE:

Why did he shove his teammate?

With 5:23 to go in the 2nd quarter, the television cameras caught Sanders looking frustrated and shoving one of his offensive linemen.

Another bad move by Sanders

Is this the kind of ‘leader’ an NFL team wants?

Is this the kind of teammate NFL players want?

This is one of the reasons I prefer evaluating televised games opposed to ‘ALL-22’ film. You see and hear things on televised games you don’t otherwise see or hear.

Lack of accountability

If that wasn’t bad enough, Sanders took things a step further by throwing his offensive line under the bus in the press conference.

Another bad move by Sanders

Probably not the best choice to further frustrate your offensive line when you’re the smallest guy in the pocket.

TAKE A LISTEN:

NFL takeaway

Just when I was starting to warm up to Sanders a little more as a quarterback, he has to go and do and say all this.

Every piece of information is part of the evaluation process. It’s like one of those 5,000 piece jigsaw puzzles. The more information I acquire, the worse the picture is looking. It’s him doing this stuff. It’s him saying this stuff. All I am doing is writing it down.

Sanders hurt his draft stock against Nebraska.

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, and has written for Sports Illustrated (Lions, Jets, and 49ers), NFL Draft Diamonds, and Yardbarker, as well as a featured guest on ESPN Radio and Fox Sports Radio. For more information about him visit his website at whateverittakesbook.com. Follow on Twitter @firstroundmock.