It’s been said for weeks that Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders was slipping down many teams’ draft boards.
Normally, that can be a gossip tactic used by teams that don’t have draft picks in the top 15, or even 20, hoping that a player might fall to them.
Is it in this case? No one really knows for sure.
But there is this from an NFL Network reporter that gives us pause. And probably won’t have him as a welcome guest at the Sanders’ dinner table anytime soon.
In his analysis of quarterbacks in this year’s draft, rated by scouts, coaches and NFL teams’ executives, Tom Pelissero hits the highlights of what those people are telling him about the QBs available this weekend (2025 NFL Draft: Pro execs, scouts, coaches rank and evaluate the top 18 prospects in this QB class)
For example, an excerpt from the story on Miami quarterback Cam Ward, expected to go first overall, whether it’s to the Tennessee Titans, who actually have the No. 1 pick, or whether they trade it away:
“”There’s one guy that’s head and shoulders above the rest in Cam Ward,” a quarterbacks coach for an AFC team said. “He’s the one that you [see] a bona fide starter. The natural comparison is (Patrick) Mahomes and Caleb Williams from last year. The same type of playmaking ability and arm talent. The same hesitancies you see, as well, in terms of just playing on schedule more consistently. But I like him a lot. It’s pretty obvious that he’s going to be the first overall pick, and I think he’s worth it.”
“In 57 college starts at three schools, Ward completed 65.1 percent of his passes for 18,184 yards and an NCAA-record 158 touchdowns with 37 interceptions.”
That’s the quote from Pelissero’s story on Cam Ward. And it’s VERY in-depth. Pelissero did a ton of work here, obviously not just on Ward, but on all of these prospects, making all of these contacts and getting them to speak, even off-record.
But here’s part of the breakdown on Sanders.
Here’s some of the good.
“Shedeur is a really, really talented passer,” an NFC quarterbacks coach said. “Not elite arm strength, but I don’t think it’s anything that will hinder you. Obviously, he’s been working with Pat (Shurmur, a longtime NFL coach who’s currently Colorado’s offensive coordinator), so he knows some NFL stuff. He’ll have to learn to get the ball out and to play with the timing you need to play in this league. That’s everything it really comes down to.” Said an NFC assistant coach: “He’s got ability to throw to all three levels. He’s good on the ball-out, quick passing game. Can move around. Tough as all get out. He’ll take hits and just hop up and it doesn’t really faze him. That’s impressive. There’s obviously things he needs to improve on, just working progressions. You’ve got Travis Hunter out there; it’s not like you have to work a ton of progressions. And then he took a lot of sacks. Obviously, the line wasn’t outstanding, but they weren’t always the line’s fault, either. He’s hanging on to the ball. He’s not throwing the ball away for one reason or another. He’s got a chance to be good. There’s things there that’s got to improve. I think he can do it.”
Then, Pelissero talked about Sanders’ numbers, his on-the-field career, both at Colorado and before that, smaller Jackson State.
And there’s this analysis.
“The dude’s only played for his dad. When things go wrong, it’s not his fault. He takes a sack, he blames the O-line,” an AFC coordinator said. “He can make the throws. He’s got good accuracy. But does he lock on No. 1 and home in on him? And does the offense tailor for him to read it out?” Deion Sanders hasn’t been shy about using social media and press conferences to fire back at any real or perceived slights he has heard about Shedeur during the pre-draft process. “You can’t have your dad saying, ‘I’m going to come put a quarterback coach on blast who said you were arrogant.’ So, he can’t be criticized?” a veteran NFC executive said. “It seems like his [teammates] like him. They back him, even with all the limelight stuff and going in a different car to the game. It seems like they back him more.”
The most blistering part of the portion of the story about Sanders might be this, where an unidentified NFL assistant coach talks about Sanders and the interview process. Again, these people are speaking behind the protection of anonymity.
One longtime NFL assistant coach said his time with Sanders was “the worst formal interview I’ve ever been in in my life. He’s so entitled. He takes unnecessary sacks. He never plays on time. He has horrible body language. He blames teammates. … But the biggest thing is, he’s not that good.” Said one longtime AFC executive: “It didn’t go great in our interview. He wants to dictate what he’s going to do and what’s best for him. He makes you feel small.” Even some of Sanders’ fans expressed disappointment he didn’t take a bigger step forward as a senior. “I liked him the year before,” an NFC GM said. “They did change coordinators. It just felt different. It felt less athletic, less arm talent — everything felt less. If you’re talking about this year’s tape versus (Jaxson) Dart and Shedeur, I don’t think it was particularly close.”
Ouch.
Like, BIG ouch.
Teams in the top 10 that are believed to be seeking a quarterback for need are, of course, the Tennessee Titans, who have the No. 1 overall pick and are thought to be a lock to take Ward out of Miami; the Cleveland Browns, who pick No. 2 overall, and have been incumbered with the weight-of-the-world contract of oft-and-current injured DeShaun Watson; third-overall draft pick-holder New York Giants, who jettisoned former No. 6 overall pick Daniel Jones last year and signed Russell Wilson (but as a bridge, or something more?) this offseason); and potentially the New Orleans Saints at No. 9, who apparently are dealing with something that could be serious in an injury with Derek Carr.
Others could include the Las Vegas Raiders at pick 6, although they did trade for Geno Smith a few weeks ago, and the New York Jets at No. 7, but they also brought in Justin Fields as their apparent starter.
The draft begins at 8 p.m. Eastern / 7 Central tonight. Here’s more: DRAFT DAY | Where to watch, complete list of picks in order and by team | The Football Beat.
