The truth about Colorado QB Shedeur Sanders, "maturity issues", and how the NFL actually views him
There isn’t a 2025 NFL Draft prospect who is going to get put under the microscope more than Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders. Some is his own doing, clearly wanting to be in the spotlight at all times. Some other parts are completely out of Sanders’ control. Having “Prime Time” Deion Sanders as his father was […]
There isn’t a 2025 NFL Draft prospect who is going to get put under the microscope more than Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders. Some is his own doing, clearly wanting to be in the spotlight at all times. Some other parts are completely out of Sanders’ control. Having “Prime Time” Deion Sanders as his father was out of his control, and with that, people are always going to be watching.
Whether you are on good ole’ Twitter or just casually surfing the internet, there is a lot of negativity surrounding Sanders, but a lot has been created. That includes his postgame comments about his offensive line a few weeks ago, and his occasional back and forths on social media. While that stuff can be a negative reflection on the talented quarterback, and could have some long term drawbacks, it doesn’t appear that the NFL is overly worried about it right now.
When you talk to sources on the NFL level, there really isn’t much out there but positivity surrounding Sanders. In fact, there’s a phrase that I have now heard from multiple people around the league, “outstanding human being.” There was even one team source who said that Sanders has one of the better character reports that have ever seen on a prospect.
If you ask directly about the postgame antics, and other controversial moments surrounding Sanders, most people evaluating him for the next level dismiss it as “a small sign of immaturity” but nothing to be overly worried about. One source went a little deeper into it with me.
“Shedeur is a great kid and nobody we have spoken to has a bad word to say about him. He needs to continue maturing just like everyone else his age, but he’s a great person. There is always going to be attention around him, but the driving force for him is to be the best player he can be.”
We already are seeing Sanders mature on the field this fall as well. Outside of his game against Nebraska, he has been tremendous in 2024. Through four games, Sanders has thrown for 1,630 yards and 14 touchdowns, while also completing over 70 percent of his passes and throwing only three interceptions. Sanders has shown massive steps as a processor, pocket manipulator, and consistent passer.
The opinion around the league is that Sanders is largely considered the favorite to be the first quarterback selected this April, at least right now. One evaluator I spoke to did call the race “still wide open” but also admitted that Sanders could be one of the safer bets at the position.
A lot can change from here until the end of the season, and draft season can be a completely different animal, but a lot of the negativity surrounding Sanders does seem to be quite overstated. We are going to continue to talk about names like Carson Beck (Georgia), Cameron Ward (Miami), Jalen Milroe (Alabama) and Quinn Ewers (Texas) among others, but Sanders does seem to be the name most often talked about up top.
From a character, on-field, and developmental perspective, he has NFL folks excited. It’s going to be a fascinating draft process to watch.
