Shedeur Sanders: Is He Actually An NFL Caliber Quarterback?
I’m not sure there has ever been more excitement around the Colorado football program. Deion Sanders has brought a spark to the entire program. Still, there is an elephant around the room that nobody seems like they want to talk about. Is Shedeur Sanders actually an NFL caliber quarterback?
You know me, I don’t really respect the opinion of other NFL Draft heads. The opinions on Sanders seem to be all over the map. We’re also probably a year ahead of schedule on this anyway. Sanders is probably better suited to enter the 2025 NFL Draft instead of the one that’s coming up.
The truth of the matter is, right now all we have to go on is his recruiting profile coming up from high school and his tape at Jackson State. The competition at Jackson State obviously isn’t great either.
I’ll just let the cat out of the bag and reveal my thoughts. I’m in on Sanders. If you read my quarterback rankings, I have Sanders ranked fairly high. Sanders isn’t a lock to become a franchise quarterback. However, there is certainly a pathway for him to become that.
For starters, Sanders was a three-star recruit during his recruiting class. Sanders was offered by Oregon, Florida State, Florida, LSU, Georgia, Michigan, UCLA, and Tennessee. I’m not sure we should hold the Jackson State helmet against him. Had his father not become the coach there, Sanders would be playing for a much better program.
Let’s be honest; we’re positive he wouldn’t be the starter for Alabama right now?
I like the skillset. Shedeur is a plus athlete for the position and he’s not small either. That part can’t be stressed enough. It would be one thing if Shedeuer was this small move around guy. That’s not the case. Sanders checks in at 6-foot-2, 215. He’s bigger than Caleb Williams. The size is a check mark in the right direction.
Shedeur doesn’t have A+ arm strength but he has enough. It’s tough to evaluate him as a passer right now going against bums, but the production can’t really be ignored. Sanders posted a 70-14 TD to INT ratio.
I just did a post on Dorian Thompson-Robinson recently based on what he’s doing in the preseason. Why can’t Sanders be that type of player? Both great athletes and Sanders is way bigger. This is a guy that’s going to do damage on the ground. Really great athletes translate to the NFL level. We need to see more but the guy has real quarterback instincts. He’s not a small run around guy that bails the pocket and panics. Shedeur has a clam demeanor to him that has a shot to work.
It may be a rough first year in Buffalo for the entire Sanders crew. These things take time. However, I wouldn’t discount Shedeur Sanders’ chances to become a legit NFL quarterback. The guy has a shot. We’re certainly going to find out more this year and I can’t wait.
