There’s a lot to like about Shedeur Sanders as a football player. Considering his upbringing, he’s very strong mentally in terms of locking in and keeping out the distractions. He has also shown himself to be the type of player who rises to the occasion rather than slinking away from it. His arm strength isn’t elite, but he’s a surgeon who put up the greatest career completion percentage (71.8) in NCAA history.
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And yet, there is one major drawback in his game that no one could ever have guessed considering his pedigree: speed and athleticism. Shedeur can move around in the pocket, scramble, and extend plays. But he’s not a dual-threat QB like Cam Ward or even Riley Leonard. He can run when he has to, but his lack of athleticism makes that a last resort.
That hole in his game wouldn’t be as shocking if it wasn’t for the fact that his father, Deion Sanders, may have been the fastest man in both the NFL and the MLB throughout much of the 1990s. Shedeur is only half Deion, however.
While speaking with Mike Florio and Chris Simms at the NFL Scouting Combine, he jokingly placed the blame for his lack of speed on the authors of the other half of his DNA: his mother Pilar’s family—something Deion agrees with as well.
“When I heard you were coming up the ranks, I was like ‘Well, he must be fast, I can’t wait to see him’,” Simms said to Sanders.
“No, I got my speed from my mom,” the QB responded with a laugh.
Sims chuckled, adding, “Your dad said the same thing. ‘Those are momma’s genes right there.'”
Deion Sanders terrorized opposing quarterbacks with his speed for years in the NFL. He used it both to bait QBs into throwing him INTs after making it seem he’d been beaten, as well as on his many return TDs, whether punt or pick.
Sanders ran an unofficial 4.25 at the Combine back in 1989. In the three decades since, only five players have eclipsed that mark despite all the advancements in sports science since then, which really puts his speed back then into perspective.
Though Shedeur lacks the level of athleticism that is almost becoming a prerequisite for the QB position, it was never his physical traits or gifts that made Deion Sanders’ youngest son think the QB position was for him. Instead, it was his leadership skills.
Namely, it was his ability to “relate to different people” that made him gravitate to the most high-pressure position in all of sports.
“The reason why I was a QB was because I was a great leader. And I can relate to different people by just being in overall different situations. Getting the best of both worlds in life. My dad had us grow up privileged a little bit, up until a point, then he moved us to the inner city. That’s what got us that dog mentality… He threw us right into the fire… that’s how we’re able to talk to different people, relate to all these different types of people.”
Deion, for his part, was actually happy that Shedeur didn’t have the same athletic profile as his famous father. It reduced comparisons between father and son. But, it also made Shedeur rely more heavily on his mind and his intellect while playing QB.
“I don’t think Shedeur would be the QB he is if he had that. Because now, he really has to use the intellect and instinct and understanding of the game and understand defenses and all that… How many QBs going into this draft have started every game in high school, every game in college but one, has had several different offensive coordinators, and not the best protection we would want, and his numbers keep going up every year?”
Shedeur Sanders was a major catalyst in Colorado’s turnaround from 1-11 in 2022 to 9-4 in 2024. He threw for over 4,100 yards with 37 TDs and 10 INTs this year, also posting a 74.0 completion percentage that led the nation. Despite his lack of speed, he’s likely to be selected no later than the New York Jets at No. 7 when the 2025 NFL Draft finally arrives.
