Colorado Buffaloes quarterback Shedeur Sanders remains one of the most curious prospects heading into the 2025 NFL Draft. While the numbers are off the charts, the eye test leaves something to be desired. As a result, his stock and draft position are still up in the air.
From the top of the draft to the second round, everything is still possible when it comes to Sanders.
How Can Shedeur Sanders Improve?
At first, it looked like a done deal when the New York Giants ended the season holding the No. 3 overall pick. However, with New York signing two quarterbacks in free agency, Sanders’ future is left uncertain.
That led one top NFL Draft expert to break down the film on Sanders, pointing out both the positives and the red flags from the Buffaloes’ star.
At Colorado, Sanders was a transformational player. In two years, the program went from a one-win lowlight to a nine-win juggernaut. The Dallas native was the orchestrator of the offense, putting up remarkable numbers even behind a struggling offensive line.
This past season, Sanders completed 74% of his passes for 4,134 yards and 37 touchdowns. But questions still remain about how his game will translate to the NFL, and ESPN’s Jordan Reid broke it all down.
Starting with the positives, Reid said, “He seems to be the favorite to be the second quarterback off the board, but one trait that really stands out about him is just the poise and accuracy that he plays with.”
As proof, Reid pointed out four key strengths.
“He had a 74% completion percentage a season ago, he has excellent ball placement, he’s very polished, and you cannot question his toughness at all.”
But that doesn’t mean there aren’t areas for growth. Reid said, “The things that we want to see him work on — it’s just the pocket drifting with him. He has a reluctance to really invite pressure, and that’s what led to 94 sacks over the last two seasons, the second-most in the FBS over that span.
“So I wanna see him work on that and don’t invite so much pressure. If he works on that and continues to improve in that area, I believe he has the upside to be a starter on the next level.”
PFSN’s latest mock draft backs that up. Brentley Weissman has the son of NFL legend Deion Sanders dropping a few spots from the top three and landing at No. 9 to the New Orleans Saints.
“New head coach Kellen Moore needs to figure out the quarterback spot if he wants to stick around,” Weissman says.
While the team has Derek Carr under contract for the 2025 season at least, Weissman doesn’t see Sanders falling much further.
“I think Derek Carr can still be solid, but I don’t see how the New Orleans Saints pass on Sanders here. Shedeur Sanders has the accuracy, poise, and touch teams want in a quarterback. He’d be a great fit in Moore’s offense, and I like the idea of him pushing Carr for the starting job.”