The 2025 NFL Draft features one of the most polarizing prospects in recent memory. Colorado Buffaloes QB Shedeur Sanders enters as a consensus top-two quarterback heading into Lambeau Field, but between the alleged attitude issues and questions about his play, opinions on Sanders are split.
Once projected as a top-three pick, Sanders’ stock has dropped into the late first or even second round in some cases. With so many differing takes, one analyst broke down the Colorado star’s game in detail.
The Shedeur Sanders Conundrum
At Colorado, Sanders was a transformational player. In two years, the program went from a one-win lowlight to a nine-win turnaround. The Dallas native led the offense and put up big numbers despite playing behind a struggling offensive line.
This year, Sanders completed 74% of his passes for 4,134 yards and scored 37 total touchdowns. Nate Tice of Yahoo Sports and the NFL Network sat down with Dane Brugler to break down his tape, pointing out both the strengths and weaknesses.
“When everything’s clean for him, when he has that pocket, he can step up and throw, he can fire it with the best of them. He’s got juice on the arm, he can throw a good ball. My favorite throws that he throws are digs,” Tice confirmed.
“I think that’s where you see the strengths of his game, when he’s clean, ready to fire, he throws a tight spot, cuts the wind, cuts the weather, puts it right on the money.”
However, there is a negative to Sanders’ game as well.
“It’s just that the process to get there is where my issues lie,” Tice began. “As soon as he has to progress a little bit, that’s where things come unraveled, where he has to move off his first read. If the post-snap read isn’t what he expected, it’s scary.
“He drifts back into the pocket; he takes a lot of sacks,” Tice continued. “He didn’t help that at all. He drifts back into the tackle, he changed the throwing lanes, and this is where I view him as more of a Day 2 prospect.”
That’s where the discrepancy comes in. Many initially had Sanders going to the Cleveland Browns or New York Giants with the No. 2 or 3 overall picks, respectively. Now, a Day 1 slide is firmly in play.
“He’s more of an adequate, average athlete with adequate, average size. I think neither are good. So, if you play this way, you have to be kind of a freak in the NFL. You have to be a Lamar Jackson, you have to be a Jayden Daniels, you have to be a Josh Allen,” Tice added.
In the end, Sanders’ playstyle might not be enough to overcome his physical limitations.
“How I project him is as a distributor, as a guy that works from the pocket, boom boom boom, has good run game around him. Nice, solid quarterback. But I’m not taking a nice solid quarterback in the top 10,” Tice concluded.
The latest mock draft from PFSN, however, doesn’t agree with Tice’s take. While Sanders isn’t going top three like some expected, he’s still a top-10 pick with the New Orleans Saints taking him at No. 9.