Shedeur Sanders, Colorado: 2025 NFL Draft Profile & Scouting Report

Sanders was a four-star recruit from Trinity Christian School in Cedar Hill, Texas in the class of 2021

When Shedeur Sanders is operating at his peak, he’s arguably the best quarterback in the 2025 NFL Draft. However, Sanders’ play and supporting cast were streaky in 2023. He must refine his game to become a more consistent down-to-down quarterback.

Visit my Twitter account @Sam_Teets33 for more opinions on prospects, clips, and the latest football content.

Shedeur Sanders, QB Colorado: 2025 NFL Draft Profile

Classification: Senior quarterback from Dallas, Texas

Background: Sanders was a four-star recruit from Trinity Christian School in Cedar Hill, Texas in the class of 2021. He was the No. 247 recruit according to 247Sports and No. 411 (three-star) for On3.com. Sanders was an unranked three-star recruit for Rivals. ESPN ranked him 61st in the nation (four-star) with an 86 grade out of 100. Sanders spent two seasons at Jackson State before following his father and head coach, Hall of Fame cornerback Deion Sanders, to Colorado. The younger Sanders lettered four years at Trinity Christian. He completed 805 of 1,238 pass attempts for 12,627 yards and 166 touchdowns throughout his career. The program amassed a 47-5 record under his leadership. As a senior, Sanders led Trinity Christian to the 2020 TCAL National Championship as he completed 251 of 366 pass attempts for 3,702 yards and 43 touchdowns. As a junior, he completed 244 of 331 attempts for 3,477 yards, 47 touchdowns, and four interceptions to accompany 94 carries for 255 yards and 11 touchdowns. Trinity Christian went 13-1 and won its third straight Division II State Championship in the Texas Association of Private and Parochial Schools (TAPPS). Sanders completed 177 of 289 passes for 3,088 yards, 42 touchdowns, and seven interceptions as Trinity Christian went 14-0 in his sophomore season. As a freshman, he completed 133 of 252 pass attempts for 2,360 yards, 34 touchdowns, and eight interceptions as the program went 12-1.

Injuries & Off-Field: Left 2022 Alabama State game with an injury, suffered a fracture in his back vs. Washington State causing him to miss the Utah game (2023)

Awards: 2021 Second Team All-SWAC, 2021 SWAC Freshman of the Year, 2021 Stats Perform Jerry Rice FCS National Freshman of the Year, 2021 HERO Sports FCS Freshman All-American, 2022 First Team All-SWAC, 2022 SWAC Offensive Player of the Year, 2022 HERO Sports FCS Sophomore All-American, 2023 Honorable Mention All-Pac-12, 2023 Pac-12 Newcomer of the Year (Associated Press), 2023 All-Portal Team (The Athletic)

Pros: Gradually cut down on fumbles, fairly fluid in working through his post-snap reads, flips hips and plants to throw quickly when rolling left, quick release, delivers throws with pressure in his face, good anticipation on comebacks and curls, impressive anticipation on intermediate routes, ball arrives to near sideline with sufficient velocity, really nice velocity on throws to the far sideline vs. USC (2023), in his bag and slinging frozen ropes vs. USC (2023), layers the ball between the second and third levels, excellent downfield touch, good air time on red zone fades, downfield accuracy and ability to lead receivers jumps up when he has room to step into throws, had a roughly 55-air-yard TD pass dropped vs. TCU but completed a 45-air-yard pass (2023), completed a nearly 50-air-yard pass vs. Oregon (2023), completed a roughly 55-air-yard pass vs. USC (2023), completed a 45-air-yard pass vs. Oregon State (2023), above-average escapability, comfortable throwing on the move, creative scrambling opens second chance opportunities for the offense, mobility to gash defenses, some twitchy sharp cuts to make defenders miss, adjusted to sliding to finish runs

Cons: Enters 2024 with 24 career fumbles, penalized eight times in 2023, Colorado offense featured one-read plays and schemed assistance, overlooks blitzers on pre-snap reads, constantly retreating from the pocket, pocket management, doesn’t step up in the pocket, holds ball too long on non-schemed throws, needs to throw the ball OOB instead of taking a sack, pressure to sack conversion rate of 25.1%, lean frame takes a lot of damage, attempts to create something from nothing lead to turnover worthy plays, needs to make quicker decisions when under pressure, risky decisions to throw while under heavy pressure, forces throws while being hit, pure upper body throws with limited lower body engagement, lower half is sometimes straight with limited bend or bounce during throwing motion, 12 passes batted at the LOS in 2023, telegraphs his throw to DL-men when he plants his feet, doesn’t use pump fakes often to move or freeze defenders, lacks elite velocity and arm strength, streaky play, slight loop in throwing motion and release point contribute to low throws on short passes, several low pass placements at the sticks, several high placements or overthrows vs. Arizona State (2023) on open looks, too much air and not enough zip to lead receivers on some 9 routes, inconsistent leading receivers on vertical routes over 45 yards, floats instead of driving some back shoulder throws, red zone fades should be more toward the back pylon, occasionally overestimates athleticism, doesn’t protect himself consistently

Overview: Sanders enters 2024 with 24 career fumbles, but he’s gradually cut down on his total turnovers each season in college. He works through his post-snap reads without many snags, but Colorado’s offense does provide schemed help to assist its quarterback. Sanders overlooks blitzers on pre-snap reads and had some issues getting Colorado to operate on time in 2023, leading to him being charged with eight penalties. The Jacksonville State transfer doesn’t manage the pocket at a high level. He constantly retreats backward, inviting pressure off the edges and stressing his offensive tackles. Sanders also holds the ball for too long and attempts to play backyard football instead of throwing the ball away on broken plays. His attempts to create something from nothing sometimes result in spectacular gains, but they also result in risky decisions and turnover worthy plays. Sanders forces throws while being hit. This playstyle caused his lean frame to take a lot of damage in 2023. Sanders can avoid taking that much punishment by making quicker decisions when under pressure. The Texas native has a quick release that allows him to get the ball out while facing pressure. Unfortunately, he throws with pure upper body power and limited lower body engagement. His lower half is sometimes straight with limited bend or bounce during his throwing motion. Sanders throws with impressive anticipation on curls and comebacks but sometimes his receivers don’t expect the pass. This is one example of his supporting cast letting him down. Among the top quarterback prospects in the 2025 draft, he had the worst offensive line and one of the lower-ranked pass catcher rooms. Sanders showcases impressive anticipation on intermediate routes and drives throws to the sideline with sufficient velocity. His velocity was at its peak against USC (2023) as he painted throws all over the field. The former four-star recruit layers the ball between the second and third levels and has excellent downfield touch. In 2023, Sanders created the most game-changing downfield plays among the projected top quarterbacks in the 2025 class. When he steps into throws, he has the accuracy to lead receivers on downfield routes. Sanders also puts good air under his red zone fades. The senior has adequate but not elite velocity and arm strength. He telegraphs some throws with how early he plants his feet, allowing defensive linemen and defensive backs to close the throwing lane. There’s a slight loop in Sanders’ throwing motion that contributes to low throws on short passes. He is a streaky player who suffers from consecutive inaccurate throws when not in his zone. This results in throws low and short of the sticks, high placements and overthrows to open receivers, and too much air with not enough velocity on 9 routes. Sanders’ arm also limits his ability to access the very deepest levels of the secondary. He floats instead of driving some back shoulder throws and doesn’t have the best placement on his red zone fades. Sanders is a twitchy quarterback with above-average escapability. He is a creative scrambler who opens second chance opportunities for the offense. Sanders is comfortable throwing on the run and impresses with his ability to flip his hips and quickly deliver throws while rolling left. However, he occasionally overestimates his own athleticism and gets cornered by defenders. He knows how to slide but doesn’t protect himself consistently.

Overall, Sanders is a streaky quarterback who goes from dominating opponents one week to looking mediocre the next. He will secure a top 15 pick in the upcoming draft if he hits the high-end of his spectrum of play more often in 2024. In the meantime, he needs to refine his accuracy and develop his pocket management and lower body mechanics.

Role & Scheme Fit: Semi-mobile passer in a vertical stretching offense

Round Grade: Second Round

Size: 6'2", 215 lbs. (Unofficial)

Submitted: 06-19-24