Every draft cycle has that one quarterback prospect who becomes a punching bag for anonymous scouts and draft analysts. For reasons that often make little sense. Last year, it was Caleb Williams for his nail-painting hobby. The year before, it was C.J. Stroud, who received a poor grade on the S2 Cognition test. And now, it looks like it’s Shedeur Sanders’ turn.
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Before the offseason, Colorado Buffaloes quarterback Shedeur Sanders was unanimously considered by many as a sure-shot top pick alongside Cam Ward and Travis Hunter. But as D-Day inches closer, Deion Sanders’ son’s draft stock has started to take a hit.
Shedeur isn’t even being considered a close talent to Cam Ward now. It’s Jaxson Dart they are comparing him to. The Buffs superstar’s first-round pick status has also been questioned, with some mock drafts projecting him as an early second-round pick. FOX analyst and Colorado alum Joel Klatt has had enough of hearing these agendas against Shedeur.
Not only did he defend the 23-year-old QB prospect, but Klatt also called out the larger pattern of how draft narratives are shaped — every year.
“It’s rinse and repeat every year. You take the guy that is the most controversial in the draft, and then we end up having to talk about this exact subject because of lazy journalism and a big-mouth scout,” said the analyst on The Herd with Colin Cowherd.
What does Klatt mean? The same people hyping up other quarterbacks are the ones pushing the idea that Shedeur is “falling.” In reality, the tape shows exactly what most CFB fans have been saying for the last 12 months: Shedeur is a highly accurate passer with great game IQ.
“When you actually watch Shedeur, the guy is excellent. He’s got surgical capability, he’s on time, he’s accurate, he’s smart, and he led a program from one win to nine—which is exactly what he’s going to be asked to do in the NFL,” he added.
Simms, an ex-Colorado star himself, also made one thing clear: Shedeur must not fall out of the first round. In his eyes, he should be a top-five or six pick.
He argued that outside of Travis Hunter, Sanders didn’t have true five-star talent around him at Colorado. Despite that, the Buffs QB posted a career-high 74% completion rate last season while playing behind a struggling offensive line. And on top of that, Colorado’s running game wasn’t exactly a reliable asset either.
Yet, despite all this, Shedeur put up impressive numbers, led his team into the top 25, and made Colorado relevant again with an Alamo Bowl berth—proof of his pedigree. To Klatt, the criticism Shedeur is facing now is just the same recycled narrative that surfaces every draft season.
“I hear this narrative, and unfortunately, this is where we’re at today in the coverage of the NFL Draft,” Klatt said before continuing,
“The draft media or certain individuals within the league—who were never going to draft this player to begin with—start perpetuating these myths and untruths about players stemming out of the combine.”
As always, the draft cycle continues to be full of noise. But what’s scary this time is that we’ve already heard so much about Shedeur Sanders, and April has barely started. One can only wonder how the next three weeks will pan out.
That said, as Klatt made clear—Shedeur Sanders isn’t just a first-round quarterback; he’s one of the best QBs in the draft, period. The only question now is whether NFL teams are smart enough to see it.
