If Shedeur Sanders was a regular Joe like you and me, he’d have been going through a rollercoaster of emotions over the last couple of months. Lucky for him, Sanders is no average Joe. He was raised in the spotlight, and he embraces the ups and the downs of being Deion Sanders’ son—and there have been lots of ups and downs.
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Sanders was far and away the top choice to become the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft back in November and December. Then, an uneven performance in a 36-14 blowout loss to BYU in the Alamo Bowl saw his stock start falling. And it continued to fall and fall until the past week or so when a few top draft experts started singing Shedeur’s praises once again.
First, it was fellow Colorado QB alum Joel Klatt, who rated Sanders as his top QB in this class. Then, on Tuesday, legendary NFL Draft expert Mel Kiper Jr. joined the chorus. He compared “elements” of Shedeur Sanders’ game to those of guys like Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, and Joe Burrow as he made his argument for why Sanders would go No. 7 to the New York Jets.
“I’ve said elements of Joe Burrow, Peyton Manning, and Tom Brady. Elements, I’m not saying he’s gonna be those guys. But elements of those guys… Tom Brady went in the late 6th round because he didn’t have the big arm, he was not fast, 5.24 40, worst vertical jump of any QB I’ve ever evaluated.”
Again, Kiper reiterated that he doesn’t believe Sanders is going to turn into the GOAT. But it is true that he has some similar traits to Brady coming out of college. Neither had the big arm or mobility to impress scouts, but both knew how to matriculate the ball down the field by making quick and smart decisions. The dink-n-dunk drive was a Brady staple during his prime.
“Shedeur’s arm is good enough. His mobility is good enough. He can get you a 3rd and 8 first down with his legs. He is a processor. He’s accurate. He does everything you want from a standpoint of being an old-school, traditional dropback pocket passer, who can surgically go down the field, and do what Tom Brady did.”
Kiper had made similar comments about the Sanders and Brady comparison during the 2024 season. Back then, he said that Sanders had a “little bit” of Brady, Burrow, and Jared Goff. However, he wanted it made clear that he wasn’t talking about any of those guys as the finished product, but rather what their potential seemed like when they were coming out of college.
“And I say that with Brady coming out of Michigan, not what he became, the greatest of all-time, but coming out. What did you see? Pocket awareness, okay. Pocket instincts. Accuracy throwing the ball. Incredible toughness, taking so many hits at Colorado it’s amazing he’s still standing today. … Mind, the great mind for the game, unflappable. …There’s elements of all three that he possesses. Will he be any of that? Who knows.”
Both Burrow and Brady led their conference in completion percentage in their senior years. Sanders not only led his conference, but the entire nation with his 74.0 mark. His 71.8 career efficiency in the NCAA is a college football record.
Sanders does hold onto the ball too long in an attempt to play hero ball sometimes. He also tends to drift back in the pocket rather than climbing up. However, his processing speed is excellent and his combination of quick release and quick decision-making results in a very tough QB to stop on short or intermediate routes.
In the vein of Mr. Omaha Peyton Manning, Sanders has also shown an uncanny ability to identify defenses and make pre-snap adjustments. He struggled a bit with BYU’s more complex system during the Alamo Bowl. But there was enough good tape last season to make Kiper’s comparisons reasonable.
Perhaps most importantly, Sanders has always commanded respect as a team leader. He is known for his great poise even when under duress in high-pressure situations, which happened a lot while he was in Boulder.
Shedeur Sanders will hope that whoever takes him will protect him better than they did at Colorado. The Las Vegas Raiders at No. 6 seem the most obvious choice. But, the Jets sit at No. 7, and Pete Carroll could very well go defense. No matter what kind of games Carroll and the Vegas front office play, New York would do well to trade up ahead of the Raiders if they really have their sights set on Shedeur.
