Shedeur Sanders, the dynamic and extremely skilled quarterback for Colorado, has deservedly made headlines. He’s quickly become one of the top prospects for the 2025 NFL Draft. Sanders has a cannon for an arm, and his throwing acumen is legendary at this point in his career. He’s kept scouts and analysts in a frenzy ever since. He does it while adding an outstanding 0.32 xEP per dropback—seventh in the country. His all around three down skill set would very easily transfer to the professional level and thrive.
During his time at Colorado, Sanders demonstrated a keen ability to escape pressure and extend plays outside of the pocket. One of his greatest strengths is reading defenses and adjusting on the fly at the line of scrimmage. This new skill has greatly improved his status with elite signal callers. Despite those strengths, there are enough holes in his game to question his potential success at the next level.
Sanders’ mechanics as a whole have been heavily criticized, especially his habit of falling back and escaping laterally in the pocket. This unnecessary bail-out motion provides for a later release, making receivers throttle down on routes and sometimes wait for the pass to get there. His motion is commendably swift, but critics say he’s moving too fast—too fast to be careful. At other times, the ball just flat dies in the air, creating an impossible catch situation for his WRs. This lack of consistency could hold back his impact at the next level.
A key aspect of Sanders’ game has been the chemistry he has developed with his receivers, particularly superstar two-way player Travis Hunter. This play was only one in a growing long list of big plays resulting from their budding connection this season. A big part of Sanders’ offense is their use of run-pass options (RPOs). That indicates he has a wide range of areas he needs to work on to be successful in a more classic NFL system.
Perhaps more importantly, Sanders is an expert at keeping plays alive with his legs. It is this skill that really sets him apart from numerous other talented blind musicians. His ability to evade would-be tacklers and manufacture plays not drawn up on the whiteboard is an impressive mix of athleticism and play-making instinct. This kind of dynamic capability might be the most important in today’s NFL, where quarterbacks are now becoming required to have dual-threat capabilities.
Scouts are sounding out possible destinations for Sanders even as he’s out scouting himself. A few teams will surely stand out as perfect fits that play to his strengths. Teams that already have an offensive line in place and a deep receiving corps can reap the most rewards from his unique talents. Any franchise committed to adopting an innovative and fast-paced offensive game plan would certainly consider Sanders to be an interesting investment.
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