Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders enters the NFL Draft as one of the most intriguing prospects, though opinions on him are mixed. Despite this, he could still land as a high first-round pick.
Sanders, the son of Colorado head coach and NFL Hall of Famer Deion Sanders, had several dynamic moments with the Buffaloes, including a Hail Mary touchdown against Baylor. However, former NFL quarterback and current ESPN analyst Dan Orlovsky doesn’t see many “wow” moments on Sanders’ game tape.
Dan Orlovsky on Shedeur Sanders: ‘Hardest Evaluation’
Orlovsky, who played in the NFL from 2005 to 2017, discussed Sanders’ lack of eye-popping plays during the “Ross Tucker Football Podcast” on Thursday. Sanders is considered the second-best quarterback in the draft behind Miami’s Cam Ward, but Orlovsky sees a notable gap between the two and compares Sanders more closely to Alabama’s Jalen Milroe, who is generally seen as the third-best quarterback prospect.
“QB three is closer to QB two for me than QB two is to QB one,” Orlovsky told Tucker. “I like Shedeur. I think Shedeur does a lot of good stuff on tape. It’s hard to find stuff that you’re wowed with on tape.”
Orlovsky went on to highlight what he does like about Sanders:
“Rhythm, timing, and ball placement are really good — not great, but they’re really good,” Orlovsky said. “He’s tough as nails. I think he climbs and navigates the pocket pretty well when he wants to.”
Sanders completed 71.8% of his passes for 7,364 yards, 64 touchdowns, and 13 interceptions in 24 games over two seasons at Colorado. He also rushed for eight touchdowns, though he finished with -127 yards on 211 carries due to frequent sacks and negative plays.
“The holdup for me with Shedeur… it’s the hardest evaluation I’ve done with these quarterbacks in the seven years I’ve been on TV because it feels like 50% of his snaps are at or behind the line of scrimmage,” Orlovsky said.
‘You’re Not Taking a Guy Early Because of That’
Orlovsky pointed to the high volume of screens and run-pass options (RPOs) in Colorado’s offense, which don’t translate well to the NFL. Sanders averaged 11.3 yards per completion and lost an average of 0.6 yards per carry during his college career.
“You’re not taking a guy early because of that (screens and RPOs). While it’s operated well, you’re not drafting a quarterback early for that,” Orlovsky explained.
He also noted Sanders was frequently under pressure due to poor pass protection, which limited the quality of his tape. That presents a concern for NFL teams considering taking him high in the draft.
Among quarterback-needy teams early in the draft, the New York Giants had the 28th-ranked offensive line, while the Cleveland Browns ranked 20th.
