"Coward stuff" - NFL vet takes a firm stand for Shedeur Sanders amid all the hate against ex-CU star

Colorado Buffaloes quarterback Shedeur Sanders met with several NFL teams at the scouting combine last week despite opting to not throw at the showcase event. The Buffs quarterback has received mixed reviews from analysts about his potential draft grade after the combine.

On Monday, former Colorado and NFL running back Phillip Lindsay weighed in on the criticism that the divisive Sanders has been getting from various analysts.

"Why is there so much Shedeur Sanders Hate!! All the man does is Win! He smart, tough as hell creates explosive plays with his arm, very Accurate and consistent.. But yet you got people that hide behind the NFL wall and talk bad about him.. smh coward stuff man… #showtheworld," Lindsay tweeted.

Controversial former scout weighs in on Shedeur Sanders

Different analysts have given Shedeur Sanders varying draft grades over the past few months as his stock rose after a stellar season with the Colorado Buffaloes, where he led them to within a whisker of the Big 12 championship game. The mock drafts have varied wildly, from the Buffs quarterback getting picked No. 1 to falling to No. 7 with uncertainty over his status a constant.

After Phillip Lindsay's tweet on X questioning the criticism aimed at Sanders went viral on Monday, former New York Jets scout Daniel Kelly, who has been at the vanguard of the condemnation, broke down the reasons why he has been on the quarterback's case.

Kelly's first reason was Shedeur's record against the ranked teams that he played against in the FBS.

"1-7 vs. top 25 teams," Kelly tweeted. "Respectfully I’m the only one giving him a proper valuation—over hyping and over grading and over drafting Shedeur Sanders isn’t going to do him any favors when the regular season begins."

When Lindsay pointed out Kelly's apparent bias against Shedeur, the former scout revealed his concern about the quarterback's NFL future if he was overdrafted.

"All it does is set them up to fail," Kelly tweeted. "The expectations have to be realistic. The valuation must be reflective of their full body of work as an NFL projection in order for them to have their best chance. I don’t want Shedeur (or any prospect) to be set up to fail like we’ve seen with a number of quarterbacks since 2021. The key will be him being signed to a team at the correct valuation so the expectations can align."

The race to be the first quarterback off the board during draft night has been boiled down to one between Shedeur Sanders and Miami Hurricanes star Cam Ward, and the intrigue surrounding Sanders will only make the 2025 NFL draft more exciting.