Shedeur Sanders, QB Colorado: 2024 NFL Draft Profile

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

Shedeur Sanders followed his father, Deion Sanders, from Jackson State to Colorado. The junior quarterback has some intriguing traits that lead to impressive flashes, but his mechanics need an overhaul. Sanders projects as a day three, developmental selection in the 2024 NFL Draft.

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Shedeur Sanders, QB Colorado: 2024 NFL Draft Profile

Classification: Junior 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 year. 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

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

Pros: Throws from a reliable base and steps into throws, feet don’t get stuck in the mud, throws a tight spiral, drives the ball into tight windows with ideal velocity, ball leaves his hand with excellent pop, arm strength to access throws 55+ yards downfield, arm talent allowed him to launch the ball almost 40 yards while falling away and being hit against Alabama State (2022), throws with touch on intermediate and deep passes, layers the ball between the second and third levels, throws a nice back shoulder fade, nice touch on red zone throws, delivers throws with pressure in his face, enough mobility to roll out and extend plays, creates off platform, gashes defense when left alone

Cons: Competition level, 12 fumbles in 2021 and seven in 2022, lean frame and it looks brutal when he takes hits, wind-up throwing motion, delivery takes too long, release leads to low ball placements, lead foot is often at an odd angle on throw, base is overextended at times, inconsistent ball placement and accuracy, room to lead receivers more, needs to throw with more anticipation, lots of passes slightly behind his receivers that force them to slow down and adjust, ball dies on him when he doesn’t step into throws, some downfield overthrows, challenges tight one-on-one coverage and expects his receiver to make a play, stares down targets, telegraphs throws and gives linemen a chance to block his pass, doesn’t see crashing cornerbacks, benefits from one-read throws, inconsistent processing speed working through reads, tries to play hero ball and extend plays too long, too much backyard football, needs to throw the ball away when the play is blown up, retreats too far backward, limited awareness of backside pressure, too loose with the ball on the move, lacks elite escapability, not an elusive ball carrier, instances of dropping his head when scrambling in the backfield

Overview: Sanders sets a solid base on most plays and steps into his throws for maximum velocity. His feet are active in the pocket and don’t get stuck in the mud. Sanders fires tight spirals and drives the ball into tight windows with eye-catching velocity. The ball leaves his hand with excellent pop to challenge widows across the whole field. Sanders’ arm talent allows him to access throws more than 55 yards downfield. He threw the ball roughly 40 yards against Alabama State (2022) even while falling away and taking a hit. The Jackson State transfer throws with ideal touch on intermediate and deep passes. He can put those throws on ropes when needed but knows how to throw a receiver-friendly pass. Sanders layers the ball between the defense’s second and third levels. His back shoulder fades in the red zone generally arrive with good accuracy and touch. Despite being on the smaller side, Sanders will stand in the pocket to deliver throws with defenders in his face. He isn’t a very speedy or elusive runner, but he offers above-average mobility to extend plays or make defenses pay for leaving him alone in space. Sanders creates off platform, but he lacks elite escapability and drops his head when scrambling around in the backfield too much. The junior is too loose with the football on the move. He doesn’t sense backside pressure in the pocket, which contributed to his 19 fumbles over the past two seasons. Sanders played plenty of hero ball at Jackson State. He got into the bad habit of retreating too far in the backfield on broken plays. The All-SWAC selection needs to know when to throw the ball away and live to fight another down. Those backyard football plays worked against SWAC competition but are much more dangerous in a Power Five conference. Sanders has a lean frame, and it looks brutal when he takes hits. He might want to limit his scrambling. Sanders has a wind-up throwing motion with a long delivery that gives defensive linemen a chance to get their hands up. His release leads to low ball placements. Sanders’ lead foot is often at an odd angle, which messes with his base and accuracy. His base becomes overextended at times. The former four-star recruit’s ball placement and accuracy are inconsistent. He needs to lead receivers more and begin throwing with anticipation. There are many examples of passes arriving slightly behind receivers, forcing them to adjust to the ball. Sanders has some odd plays where the ball just dies on him when he doesn’t step into the throw. Downfield overthrows aren’t uncommon for Sanders. He is too willing to challenge tight one-on-one coverage while expecting his receiver to make a play. Sanders stares down targets. He doesn’t see crashing cornerbacks. The Texas native benefits from one-read throws and displays inconsistent processing speed when working through reads.

Overall, Sanders brings intriguing arm talent and strength to the table when his mechanics are correct, but he displayed flaws while dominating low-level competition at Jackson State that NFL defenses are taught to exploit. Sanders is a developmental quarterback with the traits to justify a late round selection. This conversation could change significantly if he lights up the Pac-12 in 2023.

Role & Scheme Fit: Traits-based developmental quarterback in a spread offense

Round Projection: Late Fifth to Early Sixth

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

Submitted: 08-13-23