The 2025 NFL Draft is just in ahead of us. It’s feeling more and more likely that Shedeur Sanders will be available when the Steelers go on the clock with the 21st overall pick.
At the beginning of the offseason, that didn’t seem like much of a possibility. Now it does, thanks to Sanders’ draft stock seemingly dropping by the day. Most of the concerns with him have less to do with his play on the field. Instead, they’re more to do with his personality off it.
Sean Keeler of the Denver Post, who covered Sanders during his time at Colorado, thinks such criticism of Sanders is unfair.
“I don’t know a single Colorado teammate, publicly or privately, that doesn’t like him,” Keeler said Wednesday on 93.7 The Fan. “Seriously. Like, that’s the thing I think that is most unfairly lobbed at Shedeur, by people who haven’t covered him yet, or haven’t met him yet. They just see the Maybach and the commercials and the dad and the family and they go, ‘Oh, I’m just getting Deion too.’ I think the leadership is real. I think the hunger to win is real.”
These words shouldn’t be taken with a grain of salt. Keeler doesn’t exactly have the greatest relationship with the Sanders family. In August 2024, Deion Sanders, Shedeur’s father, banned Keeler from a press conference. No matter which side you take in that disagreement, the fact that Keeler still thinks criticism of Shedeur as a person is unfair speaks volumes.
Keeler’s comments also fly in the face of most of the issues many have with Shedeur Sanders. Make no mistake, he’s got a big, confident personality. In many aspects, that’s what you want out of a franchise quarterback. Sanders has poise, he doesn’t let pressure get to him, and he remains confident no matter what happens.
All things considered, there’s not much to complain about regarding Sanders’ collegiate career. In 2023, he joined a Colorado program that went 1-11 the year prior. Their four wins in Sanders’ first season there weren’t extremely impressive, but the improvement was there. Things went to a much higher level in 2024, with Colorado winning nine games. That eight-win improvement in two years is hard to ignore.
Of course, that came with his father, Deion, coaching. Keeler, who has his disagreements with the elder Sanders, notes that Deion’s influence seems to be something people worry about with Shedeur at the next level. Keeler doesn’t think Shedeur Sanders is a perfect prospect. Yet, he staunchly refutes those claims about his personality being an issue.
