A controversial figure in the landscape of college football and the scouting world, beneath the last name “Sanders,” the rap career, and the active social media presence is a great quarterback with excellent fundamentals. If you put on some Shedeur tape, a few things stand out right away. For starters, I think Shedeur’s biggest strength is between his ears. His decision-making is next level. Shedeur can break down defenses and understand them pre-snap, deciding the best place to go with the ball immediately. Shedeur’s horrible offensive line has forced him to make off-balance throws on the move, which he has shown the ability to do at an elite level. Shedeur has been Tom Brady’s pupil since high school, and you can really see it in his decision-making. Shedeur really takes what is given and is not afraid to throw a check-down. He is adept at either scrambling and extending a play and making an off-balance throw or understanding when to dump off to a check-down. You often see college players trying to be Superman and taking chunk plays by trying to make highlight-reel throws every down. The fact he’s already comfortable taking a check-down is important.
Another thing that stands out with Shedeur is his poise. A detractor on Caleb Williams last year was that he often balked against ranked opponents and no-showed when it mattered most. The opposite can be said for Shedeur. When the play matters most, despite the opponent or the rank, Shedeur delivers. He has a penchant for theatrics, often leading game-winning drives when the game is on the line. While this isn’t exactly quantifiable at the pro level, it shows that he can make plays when it matters most and keeps a level head despite the pressure. Shedeur shows NFL-caliber footwork when throwing passes from the pocket. He also has great mechanics when throwing off-balance and on the move, which is the way the NFL is going. Shedeur also has a knack for allowing the rush to get behind him and stepping up in the pocket to deliver a pass. This is a very instinctual ability, which shows he can process the game at an elite level already. He also leads his receivers, allowing them to catch the ball in stride for more yards after the catch, both on short screens and on slants.
The surrounding nepotism with Shedeur might insulate his fantasy value. While real-world detractors might dislike him and his father for putting into the media that he will only play on certain teams (see Eli Manning), this might allow him to fall into an advantageous position. As mentioned before, Tom Brady has been working with Shedeur since he was in high school, and it just so happens Tom Brady is now a minority owner of the Las Vegas Raiders, who in turn need a quarterback (it’s also hilarious that on his X account he posts “Thank God” after every Raiders loss). Shedeur is currently running a pro-style offense, which will benefit him in the transition to the NFL. I think we need to take a step back with all the drama surrounding Shedeur and forget his last name is Sanders. He really is a modern-day NFL QB prototype and projects to be an above-average NFL QB.
As much as this is a fluff piece, there are some negatives to Shedeur’s game. There is an element of hero ball with him that could hurt him in the NFL. He often tries to hold the ball too long to wait for plays to develop. He simply won’t have this time in the NFL. He does need some slight work on his deep ball; he’s not exactly dropping it in a bucket on deep balls. A majority of his flaws might be more due to a bad defense and forcing him to make up points. He also has had a very subpar offensive line. These problems might persist in the NFL if he gets drafted because a team picking him is going to be pretty bad. Despite those shortcomings, he still is able to handle it better than most college QBs, so this should translate well in the NFL.
Comparisons
Floor: Pre-injury Teddy Bridgewater
Ceiling: Diet Aaron Rodgers
Comments