One of college football’s most recognizable players, Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders, enters the 2025 NFL Draft as one of its most polarizing prospects despite the statistical success he has achieved on the field.
In fact, his final season with the Buffaloes was his best as he recorded 4,134 passing yards and 37 touchdowns while helping receiver Travis Hunter win the Heisman trophy.
While the 2025 quarterback class is certainly one of the weakest in recent memory, Sanders still has an opportunity to be a top ten selection in April and might even go higher than that in a draft that features an unprecedented number of teams in search of a quarterback with few avenues to get one.
Shedeur Sanders 2025 NFL Draft Scouting Report
Notes
Height: 6'1"
Weight: 212
Class: Senior
Positives
Clearly a coach's son, Sanders' upper-half mechanics are as good as they get with a clean, repeatable throwing motion that allows him to deliver the ball to the short and intermediate level with great accuracy. This ability helps him to throw the ball on the move as well, something he does at a high level.
Perhaps the best trait Sanders displays is his willingness to throw the ball to the middle of the field, an increasingly rare trait in college quarterbacks, but Sanders does it often.
Of course, the trait Sanders is most well known for is his confidence. Often seen as cocky, he clearly believes he is the most talented player on the field at all times and this translates to his play, where he is willing to do anything to extend a play and believes he can make any throw.
Negatives
Simply put, Sanders is terrible at avoiding pressure. He struggles to manage pressure when he is blitzed, as he is late to find escape lanes and instead chooses to drift backwards, simultaneously worsening the eventual sack and making any outlet throw more difficult.
What’s most concerning about this trait from Sanders is that he tends to create a lot of pressure on his own by outright bailing from clean pockets and giving defenders more clear lanes to apply pressure. This results in some of the worst sacks you will ever see.
Furthermore, for someone of Sanders' playing style, you would expect the physical gifts to counteract these negative traits, but he is simply average in terms of athletic ability and arm talent. A far cry from the elite athleticism possessed by his father, Sanders gets chased down by defenders often.
His arm, while accurate, is below average in terms of strength and creating velocity. The ball hangs around in the air when he tries to throw the ball downfield, and he isn't able to generate high-end velocity to challenge the tightest throwing windows in the short and intermediate areas.
Shedeur Sanders NFL Player Comparison: Teddy Bridgewater
If he can clean up the horrid pocket presence and learn to take what the defense is giving him, Sanders should become a passer similar to Teddy Bridgewater, who was a solid starter until the injuries caught up to him.
Shedeur Sanders NFL Draft Grade: Third Round
While Sanders is almost a lock for round one at this juncture, that appears to be more out of necessity than due to his talents. He profiles as a project quarterback who will need time to adjust to the NFL game. In a normal year, with a better quarterback class, Sanders is a day two pick.