Colorado standout quarterback Shedeur Sanders is considered by many to be one of the top quarterback prospects in the 2025 NFL Draft class. He and Miami’s Cam Ward are considered the two best quarterbacks in the class, and many felt like the two prospects are neck and neck. However, rumors swirling out of the NFL Scouting Combine indicate that there is seemingly a gap between QB1 Cam Ward and QB2 Shedeur Sanders.
Shedeur Sanders reportedly irked some NFL teams with comments at the Combine
Concerns over Sanders’s personality and character could be tanking his draft stock. According to NBC Sports’ Matthew Berry, the quarterback left a bad impression on at least two teams he met with during the draft Combine:
“They both said it was a bad meeting and that he came off as unprofessional and disinterested,” Berry wrote. “Both also said that after the meeting they had a lesser opinion of him than prior. These same people both met with [Miami Hurricanes quarterback] Cam Ward as well, and both said they loved Ward, and it was a great meeting.”
NFL Network insider Peter Schrager laid out more details as to what exactly irked those teams. He said Sanders’s comments about being a program changer upon arrival were not received well by some teams:
“His point at the combine, and it rubbed people wrong, the way he had some bravado at it, is that he changes places when he gets there,” Schrager said on the “Bill Simmons Podcast”. “So Jackson State, obviously, went from this HBCU that had no resources to suddenly being a national name. And then he goes to Colorado and we had one week where ‘Big Noon Kickoff’ from Fox and ‘GameDay’ were there, Week 2, vying for real estate in Boulder. It happens.”
Sanders’ family relations contribute to the widespread attention
Part of why Sanders attracts so much attention is because he is the son of Pro Football Hall of Famer Deion Sanders. Furthermore, Shedeur is known to have a fiery personality and a highly competitive demeanor, and is not afraid to speak his mind to the public.
In the latest mock draft from Trevor Sikkema of Pro Football Focus, Sanders was not even selected in the first round. Sikkema relayed on his podcast “The NFL Stock Exchange” that he heard at the Combine that “it was all but unanimous” that Ward is the QB1 of the draft class. He referred to the draft as a “one quarterback race” and even went on to cast doubt that Sanders would be drafted in the first round, let alone the top 10 where he is projected.
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Sanders still has a case to be a top-10 pick
Last season with Colorado, Sanders led the Big 12 in passing yards (4,134) and touchdowns (37) while leading all FBS quarterbacks in completion percentage (74%). He was undoubtedly one of the best players in the country last season and would be an upgrade at quarterback for several teams.
However, many teams that are rebuilding might not want to have an unprofessional quarterback in their locker room. They would probably prefer their franchise quarterback to be a leader who is mature and will face adversity with such maturity.
While it is highly unlikely that Sanders’s stock will plummet out of the first round, it wouldn’t be a total surprise if he fell out of at least the top five. Teams that may have been fully on board with taking him in may be more hesitant now after an unimpressive Combine appearance.
