Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders might be the most heavily debated prospect in the 2025 NFL Draft class

It has been a wild ride for Colorado star quarterback Shedeur Sanders . A former four-star recruit coming out of Trinity Christian, the talented passer chose to follow his father, Deion Sanders , to Jackson State where he was the head coach. Jackson State getting a quarterback recruit of that status was massive for the program, which would attract the likes of Travis Hunter in the future.

After a couple of stellar seasons for Jackson State, which included 6,983 passing yards and 79 total touchdowns, Sanders once again chose to follow his father. This time to Colorado, where Coach Prime was set to take over the Colorado Buffaloes program. They were a team that had been awful for years, and quickly wanted to establish a rebuild.

Following a fast start to his 2023 season with the Buffaloes, Sanders, and the offense fizzled a bit down the stretch. He was still able to throw for 3,230 yards, 27 touchdowns, and just three interceptions in that first season. Sanders had the chance to enter the 2024 NFL Draft but opted to return for a final year in 2024.

Now a notable 2025 NFL Draft prospect, the option on Sanders varies heavily. NBC Sports NFL Draft analyst Connor Rogers joined The First Team NFL Draft and College Football Podcast to discuss several top prospects, Sanders included.

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Here is what Rogers had to say about Sanders:

“I have Quinn Ewers and Shedeur (Sanders) kind of stapled together at two and three in the same bucket. It feels like opinions are all over the place on him. I don’t know if that’s because of the sports books making him the projected top overall pick but I didn’t see it that way.

I look at Shedeur and I think he does a lot of good things mechanically. He knows how to tie his lower half to his eyes when he’s comfortable. The throwing motion is pretty snappy. Middle of the field is good, especially in that 10 to 19 yard range. I thought when they get guys working on crossers, he knows how to throw a catch-and-run ball.

The 49 sacks, whether you hate the offensive line or not, a lot is him holding the ball. The offensive line can’t block for 11 seconds but that’s the same in any conference. He’s not someone that I saw running away from front seven defenders in the Power Five very often. I didn’t see escapability like I saw with some of these other guys. When you watch them all together, it paints a bigger picture for you. When you watch Cam Ward and Riley Leonard, they can run away from defenders. It’s pretty easy for them.”

Roberts’ Take

Sanders is going to be a polarizing player for a lot of reasons, partly because he has had the spotlight on him for a long time based on who his dad is. On the field, there is a lot to like with Sanders. He is a natural at the position, has very clean mechanics, and is very accurate. When he’s in rhythm, Sanders doesn’t miss much. The Colorado signal caller also understands how to layer the football, throwing with good touch to the intermediate and deeper portions of the football field. His eyes seem good but Sanders has a propensity to play hero ball too often, probably a product of the team around him. He needs to be more patient and live to play another day.