Shedeur Sanders is one of the most talked-about quarterbacks in the 2025 NFL Draft class — and not just because of his stats. As the son of NFL Hall of Famer Deion Sanders, Shedeur comes with a level of attention few prospects have ever seen. He’s expected to be a top-five pick, with some mocks projecting him as high as No. 2 overall. But with all that buzz comes a label that keeps getting thrown around: Polarizing.
Polarizing. It’s an adjective used ad nauseam to describe Sanders during this pre-draft process. Fans see the highlight reels and swagger. Executives see … well, that depends on who you ask. Some are all in. Others seem hesitant, not necessarily because of his tape, but because of how he carries himself — and what comes with the package.
Shedeur Sanders: Confidence or Cockiness? Depends Who You Ask
Former NFL quarterback Chase Daniel, who spent a decade-plus in the league, recently discussed it on “Scoop City,” a podcast he hosts with Dianna Russini, senior NFL insider for The Athletic.
Will teams pass over Shedeur Sanders because of his larger than life personality? @DMRussini and I debate a polarizing QB prospect: pic.twitter.com/umZfjrAlC6
— Chase Daniel (@ChaseDaniel) April 8, 2025
“You have to almost be cocky to play quarterback in the NFL. I like that part of it,” Daniel said. “I don’t know if the decision makers have gotten to that point, where they are really comfortable with such a confident and cocky person. I would definitely call him polarizing.”
That insight gets to the core of what seems to divide evaluators. Some teams love the confidence — others aren’t sure what to make of it. Shedeur isn’t shy. He’s on social media. He’s vocal. He’s got the Deion Sanders DNA when it comes to marketing and presence. But in a league that still clings to the “traditional QB” mold, that can rub people the wrong way.
NFL GM: ‘Show Around’ Sanders
Russini offered another perspective based on her conversations with league execs, noting that an unnamed NFL general manager pushed back on the oft-used descriptive.
“I was having a conversation with a general manager this morning about that word ‘polarizing,’ and he was pushing back a little bit,” Russini said. “He’s like, ‘I wouldn’t call him polarizing, I just think there’s a bit of a show around him, and that’s just part of the process.'”
That “show” isn’t just about Sanders himself — it’s the cameras, the attention, the Coach Prime factor. When your dad is Deion and your college games are sometimes treated like a spectacle, NFL teams take notice. Some are intrigued. Others wonder how that translates into an NFL locker room.
“And if you’re willing to sign up for that, and some teams would be,” the GM told Russini, “that’s what’s made him so interesting and perhaps, maybe, a little controversial because it’s just not the classic quarterback.”
Sanders might not be the “classic” quarterback, but the league is changing. The old-school mold of stoic, vanilla leadership is being challenged by a new wave of QBs who are more media-savvy, more outspoken, and unapologetically themselves.
Whether you love that or think it’s a red flag, Sanders will make teams take a stance. And that’s what makes him … polarizing.