2025 NFL Draft

2025 NFL Draft Scouting Report: Colorado QB Shedeur Sanders

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Shedeur Sanders Steelers scouting report

From now until the 2025 NFL Draft, we will scout and create profiles for as many prospects as possible, examining their strengths, weaknesses, and what they can bring to an NFL franchise. These players could be potential top 10 picks, down to Day 3 selections, and priority undrafted free agents. Today, a scouting report on Colorado QB Shedeur Sanders.

#2 SHEDEUR SANDERS, QB COLORADO (Senior) — 6014, 212 pounds

Measurements

Player Ht/Wt Hand Size Arm Length Wingspan
Shedeur Sanders 6014/212 9 3/4 31 1/2  77 3/4
40-Yard Dash 10-Yard Dash Short Shuttle 3-Cone
N/A N/A N/A N/A
Broad Jump Vertical Bench Press
N/A 33.5″ N/A

The Good

– Has won at every place he has been, with his high school record being 47-5, Jackson State record being 23-3, and leading Colorado to a 9-4 record in his second year
– Has pretty solid accuracy when throwing on the run
– Shows promise of being able to anticipate throwing windows
– Strings together long drives with smart short passes
– Composed pocket presence and fights to avoid sacks
– Has great accuracy when throwing from a clean pocket and using proper mechanics
– Showed flashes of being able to make plays with his legs at Jackson State and sometimes at Colorado
– Vastly improved as a passer from Jackson State to Colorado, which shows constant growth as a player
– Showed support to his Colorado teammates at both the Shrine Bowl and combine, which is what you want to see from your leader
– Hits hole shots pretty consistently to take advantage of the zone coverage the defense is in

The Bad

– Chose to not participate in anything but interviews at both the Shrine Bowl and combine
– Already 23 paired with a below-average height that falls in the 45th percentile
– Needs to throw the ball away when nothing is there
– Attempts too many unnecessarily difficult passes trying to make big plays occur
– Athleticism is not up to par with other quarterbacks in this class
– Has a tendency to underthrow deep passes ,which allows the defender back into the play
– A lot of his big plays come from trusting his teammates to make difficult plays like contested catches or massive gains after the catch

Bio

– 23 years old (February 7th, 2002)
– 26 games played for Jackson State from 2021 to 2022, 24 games played for Colorado from 2023 to 2024
– 14,730 passing yards, 153 total touchdowns, 27 interceptions, and a 158.0 passer rating in his college career
– 4,134 passing yards, 41 total touchdowns, 10 interceptions, and a 168.2 passer rating in 2024
– 2023 back fracture caused him to miss the finale vs Utah
– Three-star QB in his 2021 high school class from Cedar Hill, TX
– Father is Hall of Fame cornerback Deion Sanders and brother is former Colorado safety Shilo Sanders, who is also in the 2025 draft class
– Rated as the 4th overall quarterback in his transfer cycle behind Sam Hartman, Devin Leary, and Hudson Card
– Holds Jackson State records for season passing touchdowns (40), completions (344), and is second for passing yards (3,752)
– Released a song called “Perfect Timing” in 2024
– Signed NIL deals with Gatorade, Beats by Dre, and Nike
– 2021 SWAC Freshman of the Year, 2022 SWAC Offensive Player of the Year, 2024 Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year

Tape Breakdown

Shedeur Sanders is best when throwing with good mechanics from a clean pocket. Here, he is able to do that against Utah. He is able to step up and throw the ball inside so that the outside corner has a hard time making a play. The defender almost makes a great play on this pass, and it causes the ball to fit through a tight window, but he is ultimately short on the pass. After that, it is up to the receiver to make a play, and he does it by fighting off two defenders for the touchdown. This play also occurs on third and long, showing Sanders’ ability to make a big-time play on a big down.

Here is another example of a tight window throw from Sanders. He starts with a play-action before moving to the right due to a closing pocket. While rolling to the right, he finds Travis Hunter, creating a little separation, and Sanders makes an across-the-body throw for a touchdown. The defender nearly made a massive interception on this play, which may be worrisome if he tries this again in the NFL, but it was an impressive play nonetheless.

The way people criticize Sanders’ rushing ability makes you think he can’t move at all. However, there is a reason he had eight rushing touchdowns in his two years at Colorado and another nine at Jackson State. In this play, he doesn’t like what he sees downfield and decides to take it himself. He can make a defender miss with a simple hesitation before scurrying into the endzone.

Continuing on the last play, Sanders shows off his legs with a massive run. He showed more of this at Jackson State, where he appeared more athletic than everyone else, but he would also sprinkle it in while in Colorado. Sanders initially steps up in the pocket to avoid pressure and continues looking for a receiver before deciding just to take it himself. He then ran past a handful of Stanford defenders before going out of bounds. Similar to how I felt about CJ Stroud coming out of Ohio State, you don’t need to run often, but the ability to have it in your arsenal when you need to run is important, and Sanders has shown the ability.

Plays like these are why I am not high on Sanders overall as a prospect; they can happen fairly often for him. The situation is important here. It is third and goal in double overtime. The ball is on Stanford’s two-yard-line when Sanders takes the snap, and he starts to run backward to avoid the incoming pressure. He ends up releasing the ball all the way back at the 19-yard-line, where it is thrown straight to the Stanford defender for the interception. Stanford would then go on to kick the game-winning field goal, and Colorado would lose their next four games following this one. When asked what was going through his head on this play, Sanders stated, “It was a dumb play; I just threw it up. Simple.” Plays like these are why I say Sanders tends to make throws more difficult for himself and refuses to throw the ball away when needed. No player is perfect, and I am not expecting Sanders to be, but plays like these happen too often for him to be worth a top-10 pick.

Conclusion

Shedeur Sanders is potentially the most intriguing prospect in the 2025 class. Considering he grew up being in the spotlight nearly his entire life due to who his father is, there should be no surprise when NFL insiders like Ian Rapoport say he is the most NFL-ready to handle the bright lights.

A few things are certain about Sanders: he is a proven winner who excels in accuracy from the pocket while bringing confidence that teams and players will love. However, he is not a guaranteed game-changer. A few measurables, being slightly below average, like age and height, will be overlooked. He struggles with being less mobile than most of the quarterbacks in his class, not throwing the ball away, which leads to too many sacks, and attempting too many unnecessarily difficult passes.

Whether teams told him to or not, his not participating in any drills or testing at the Shrine Bowl or combine, despite accepting the invites, left a bad taste in a lot of mouths at the events.

My pro comparison for Sanders is Andy Dalton. While most may think this is a slight to Sanders’ ability, it isn’t at all. People seem to forget the player Dalton was in his early years. In his first five seasons in Cincinnati, Dalton led them to a 50-26-1 record as a starter, making the playoffs in four of those seasons while adding on two Pro Bowls and finishing second in Offensive Rookie of the Year voting. They are both listed at the same height and weight coming into the NFL with similar pocket passing skill sets.

Like Dalton, I believe Sanders should be taken at the top of the second round. However, due to the change in mindset since Dalton came out in 2011, teams are now more willing to “reach” on quarterbacks if the team believes they can develop the player than they used to be. That mindset shift, paired with the 2025 quarterback class being noticeably weaker than previous years, makes Sanders a projected top-10 pick.

Projection: Top 10 pick
Depot Draft Grade: 8.3 – 2nd Round (Future Quality Starter)
Games Watched: Oklahoma State (2024), Utah (2024), Nebraska (2024), Stanford (2023), Southern (2022)

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