Shedeur Sanders Graded as NFL Practice Squad Prospect

It’s one thing to be good in college, but it’s quite another thing to be good in the NFL, which leads us to Colorado quarterback (QB) Shedeur Sanders and what he looked like in 10 games last season.

While Sanders is good for college football and one of the best things to ever happen to Buffaloes, the game film looks different through my ‘NFL-colored glasses.’

You see, I watch college football through the lens of what works and hasn’t worked in the NFL. That’s the art of projecting talent. This is why I’ve had and continue to have concerns about this media sensation.

Sanders looks like an FCS QB trying to survive in the FBS. That doesn’t bode well for the NFL.

Featured in an elementary offensive attack

Sanders plays in a basic conservative-natured offensive attack built around quick rhythm short passes while making one (maybe two) reads. His passes are mostly short-range and only occasionally extend further downfield. It’s an offense tailor-built to his strengths while ‘attempting’ to keep his weaknesses from being exposed.

Keyword: ‘attempting.’

I say it’s an ‘elementary’ offense because this is what it looks like in a nutshell:

• Short throws
• Sanders takes off and runs (2023: 111 rushing attempts)

Anything outside of those two things is an adventure.

Things tend to break down from there

This is evidenced by Sanders tied as being the most sacked QB in college football last season (52) and because he had 30 passes broken up (PBU). That’s an average of 3.0 PBUs per game that I charted.

The problem is Sanders’ confidence wavers on game film.

At times he scrambles out of pressure with good behind-the-line-of-scrimmage mobility and zips the ball around, but then at other times, he becomes hesitant. It’s that dreaded engrained hesitation that causes him to fold like a tent against the pass rush and makes him look like he’s afraid to make a mistake throwing. It’s like he has to make sure ⎯sometimes even showing an extra hitch in his delivery while hard-staring receivers, which gives defenders even more time to react to his passes.

NFL projection

The NFL is a more complex and faster game that requires successful QBs to make quick, decisive, and accurate throwing decisions.

I’m not seeing the translation.

Having Hall of Fame cornerback Deion Sanders as his dad and head coach at Colorado works more against him than it works for him.

• Sanders has the last name without the elite speed and athleticism that set his dad apart when he played.
• He has that same spirit of antagonism that got his dad to get into receivers’ heads, but all it does for Sanders is make him more of a target surrounded by larger defenders. Additionally, it lowers his NFL ceiling making him less coachable as a projection.

…And his dad of all people should know quarterbacks can’t stare at their receivers before throwing in the NFL. He should also know Colorado’s offense isn’t preparing his son for the next level.

#2 Shedeur Sanders 6-foot-2, 215 pounds

Daniel Kelly’s 2024 Summer Grade: UDFA (Undraftable Free Agent) ⎯I wouldn’t sign him

Projected by 81.8% of the NFL Draft Community to be a first-round pick as of May 6, 2024 (nflmockdraftdatabase.com)

Shedeur Sanders: NFL Practice Squad Grade (3 games evaluated at Jackson State)

Game film reviewed (2023): TCU, Oregon, Nebraska, Colorado State, Stanford, USC, Arizona, UCLA, Washington State, and Oregon State (click to view games watched to form this evaluation)

2025 NFL Draft Scouting Report

An athletic raw passer with solid pocket mechanics and inconsistent mental processing. Convincing play-action fake. Improved arm strength. Worst under pressure. Best in a clean pocket throwing against zone coverage or into larger clearly established throwing windows at the intermediate route level (11-19 yards). Timing routes and throwing against press-man coverage at the intermediate route level will be problematic in the NFL. Needs to see it to believe it at the intermediate route level. Solid deep ball 17/36 (47%). Accurate on the move on his terms. Average runner. Takes what defenses give him. Protects his body (slides).

What to watch for during the 2024 college football season:

1. Throwing timing routes at the intermediate route level?

2. Sack and PBU numbers?

3. Antagonizing opponents?

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. He can be followed on Twitter @firstroundmock.