When former Indianapolis Colts QB Andrew Luck was coming out of Stanford, there was no question whether he was worthy of the first overall pick in the 2012 NFL Draft. There are plenty of questions surrounding Colorado QB Shedeur Sanders ahead of the 2025 NFL Draft. And he most certainly won’t be the first overall pick.
But college football analyst Emory Hunt thinks there are certainly similarities between the two quarterbacks. Not necessarily in terms of play style, but in terms of being ready to play in the NFL.
“Shedeur Sanders is actually the most pro-ready quarterback to hit the draft since Andrew Luck,” Hunt wrote in a CBSSports.com 2025 NFL Draft Unpopular Opinions piece. “That’s pro-ready in the sense of how he plays the position from the pocket, how he’s weathered beatings, but also in how he’s been tutored by former pros (i.e. Tom Brady, Jeff Blake). He he’s been in the spotlight from Day 1, starting at Jackson State, going to the worst FBS team in Colorado, and succeeding in both, all the while being Deion Sanders’ son.”
Sanders certainly took a beating at Colorado. In 2023, his first season in Boulder, he was sacked 52 times. In 2024, that slightly droppeed to 42. While he was sacked fewer times at Jackson State, he was sacked 35 times as a freshman and 23 times as a sophomore.
But as a senior, Sanders still attempted 477 passes. And he had a career-high completion rate of 74 percent, throwing for 4,134 yards and 37 touchdowns to only 10 interceptions. When I looked at some of the college quarterback prospects the Steelers have been linked to, Sanders only had a turnover-worthy play 1.1 percent of his passing attempts in 2024. That was the best of the six quarterbacks. He also threw an interception on 1.7 percent of his passes, only 0.2 percent behind the best of the group.
For a quarterback who was sacked 152 times in four years, Sanders showed incredible poise as a senior. You don’t put up those kinds of numbers by accident, especially when you’ve been hit that much. That’s why Hunt is sold on Sanders. There have been plenty of rookie quarterbacks who haven’t been able to handle pass-rush pressure early in their careers.
Shedeur Sanders dealt with an incredible amount of overall pressure throughout his entire college career. Sanders not only is Deion’s son, but he played for Deion throughout his college career. Colorado had more eyes on the program than ever, and Sanders still performed under the bright lights.
Hunt isn’t the only one impressed with Shedeur Sanders’ potential, either. Longtime college offensive coordinator David Yost is also impressed and would not hesitate to draft Sanders if he needed a quarterback.
Now, there are people who think Shedeur Sanders has a personality problem. That he’s entitled and cocky. If we all remember, Deion Sanders was cocky as all get out. But he backed it up with his play. And for the record, draft guru Mel Kiper Jr. doesn’t buy that there are any problems with Sanders’ personality.
So will the Steelers get a crack at drafting Sanders? That’s still up in the air. But head coach Mike Tomlin is reportedly a big fan. If what Emory Hunt says is true, Shedeur Sanders could be the Steelers’ answer at the quarterback position.
