Amid all the back-and-forth on social media this week between Deion Sanders, his son Shedeur, former Colorado players and many others, Deion made a statement I absolutely agree with: "[Shedeur] will be a top-5 pick."
Excitement about Shedeur is not just because writing about him and Colorado nets audience engagement. I believe he is legitimately the top quarterback in college football and the favorite to be the first quarterback selected in the 2025 NFL Draft, though I do not think he will be the No. 1 overall pick.
There is strong competition from Texas' Quinn Ewers, Alabama's Jalen Milroe, Georgia's Carson Beck all very close behind, but Sanders clears them for now. Here's why.
The Stats
- Sanders threw for almost 300 yards per game and only had three interceptions in 430 attempts, completing 69% of his passes while suffering 21 drops by his receivers.
- His 27 touchdown passes ranked No. 12 nationally.
- This was despite being under pressure the majority of the season behind the nation's second-worst offensive line, which gave up 56 sacks for almost 500 yards.
Scouting Report
- With an excellent arm to make all the throws necessary, Sanders is an extremely accurate passer, both in the pocket and on the move. He does a great job of keeping his eyes downfield to go through his progressions and make the high-percentage completions, despite the constant pressure that he was under all season.
- He does a great job of manipulating the safeties and can make the tight-window throws that are necessary at the next level.
- An excellent post-snap processor as well, Sanders extends the plays to give his guys an extra second or two to find green grass. He is an excellent athlete with a thick lower half who uses his athleticism to extend and make plays. Sanders has excellent feet and technique both in the pocket and on the move.
To Improve
- Sanders can do a better job of staying in the pocket longer and giving his offensive lineman a better idea where he is as he drifts in the pocket more than he will be able to at the next level. His launch point is all over the place.
- Even in times where he was not pressured immediately, he would often drift. He also can do a better job of throwing away the ball under pressure, as many of the 56 sacks could have been avoided by just throwing it out of bounds when outside the pocket instead of eating it.
While it will be difficult to throw fewer than three interceptions, I expect that we will see the best version of Sanders and an improvement overall in Colorado as a program as the Buffaloes enter the Big 12 from the Pac-12. I do have some concern with the talk that his father is trying to manipulate the draft process and teams that can select him, but I think they'll be pleased with the range of his draft outlook.
