Mixed NFL Bag for Shedeur Sanders vs. No. 61 Arizona

It will soon be Halloween and it was indeed a little bit of everything for Colorado quarterback (QB) Shedeur Sanders against the No. 61 ranked Arizona Wildcats.

Colorado had the lead from the get go and never looked back. From the fan’s perspective inside of me, the Buffaloes rolled in the first-half and were up 28-7 at halftime.

WATCH COLORADO VS. ARIZONA

From an NFL Draft perspective and watching the film for the traits that best translate to success at the next level, it wasn’t as pretty as the scoreboard.

However, it would be remiss of me not to show his best pass of the game that I saw, which is why I posted this highlight when he threw a dart into the end zone.

Tell me more about the first half

While Sanders was getting the ball out of his hand quickly (only sacked once in the first quarter on a play when it didn’t look like he was seeing the whole field), he was inconsistent going through his progressions (I charted him going through his progressions 6 times on 21 passing attempts in the first half).

Another observation in the first 30-minutes is he was more effective throwing into larger throwing windows against zone coverage (defenders are assigned to cover specific areas of the field) than throwing against tighter man coverage (defenders are assigned to cover specific receivers wherever they go).

I also liked the fact he was aggressive throwing the ball downfield. He threw five passes I charted into the intermediate route level (11-19 yards) and took another two deep shots (completing one and not completing the other).

He was also responsible for throwing one PBU (pass breakup) in the opening half and there were two fumbled snaps (only one appeared to be his fault). Then there was an ugly interception to boot when he rocketed it right to a Wildcats’ defensive back.

On the positive side, Sanders threw for two touchdowns and added one more on the ground in the first half. Like I said, there was a little bit of everything.

Trick or treat

The thing I remember about Halloween as a kid is I never knew what I was going to get going door-to-door for candy. Same thing with the game film for this one.

For some odd reason, Colorado’s second half of offense didn’t show up on the game film until late in the 4th quarter when Sanders’ backup QB Ryan Staub was in the game. Strange. That’s the first time that’s happened to me.

Where does that leave us?

It leaves us grading what Sanders put on film in the first half.

NFL takeaway

Despite the noted setbacks, Sanders looked decent from an NFL Draft perspective in the first half.

I also didn’t see him being his usual brash self flexing his watch or adding to his list of previous character concerns. He seemed more subdued against the Wildcats ⎯and also more comfortable.

Probably because he had the lead the entire game.

Regardless of the inconsistencies, for some reason, I walked away from this game against the Wildcats feeling a little bit better about Sanders. But then again, it was against No. 61 Arizona. It’s important we keep his performance in context ⎯and the level of competition in mind. It’s a piece to the puzzle.

Going forward I am going to watch him closely in the following areas:

• Is he going through his progressions before he throws?
• Is he getting the ball out of his hand quickly?
• Does it look like he is seeing the whole field or is he missing open targets?
• Is he throwing with anticipation into the intermediate route levels (before receivers make their breaks)?
• How does he look throwing against man-to-man coverage vs. zone?

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.