Former Jets scout throws down the gauntlet to Shedeur Sanders after getting an invite to the NFL scouting combine

Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders was one of the Buffaloes players formally invited to the NFL scouting combine later this month. The Buffs quarterback has long been projected as one of the top picks in the 2025 NFL draft although it is unclear whether he will take part in the activities at the combine.

On Sunday, former New York Jets scout Daniel Kelly who has thrown jabs at the NFL-bound Sander's status as the projected No. 1 pick before, threw down the gauntlet on X to the Buffs quarterback regarding his NFL combine status.

"As a former NFL Scout, I dare Shedeur Sanders to throw at the 2025 NFL Scouting Combine," Kelly tweeted.

It was not the first time that Kelly had expressed doubt about whether Shedeur Sanders would actually attend the NFL combine predicting that he would opt out of the activities in a lengthy X post on Friday.

"Let me guess," Daniel Kelly tweeted. "Shedeur Sanders will not throw at the NFL Scouting Combine. The reason —he doesn’t want to be exposed in front of the NFL until the ink dries on his rookie contract —287/353 (81.3% of his completions in 2024 went to 5 receivers at Colorado).

"No way in the world he’s going out there and ‘trying’ to work with a bunch of receivers he’s not familiar with and ‘see how it goes.’ That will not be exposed until he walks in the doors of his NFL team. It is only then his struggle to trust people will be exposed. Remember I said this."

Shedeur Sanders affirmed as worthy No. 1 pick by analyst

Whether or not Shedeur Sanders deserves the tag of projected No.1 pick during the 2025 NFL draft has fueled discourse among both fans and analysts alike throughout the season.

During Wednesday's segment of the "Joel Klatt Show," analyst Joel Klatt broke down the reason why the Buffs quarterback would merit the honor of being the draft's top pick.

"If you really evaluate him as a quarterback and you take the name off the back of the jersey and you don't look at who his head coach is, I think he's a clear No. 1 quarterback," Klatt said. "Shedeur has this beautiful combination of the ability to be a prototypical passer from the pocket, and he's got the precise ability to be a surgeon in those cases, and he also has the ability to be an artist.

"That combination doesn't come around a lot. His ability to create outside of the pocket (and) extend the play is Fran Tarkenton-esque. He's excellent in those situations. If you give him some time in the pocket, which Colorado did not generally with their offensive line, but if he has time and he can diagnose what's going on, he is surgical from the pocket," Klatt said.

"I believe that he has a chance to be much better in the National Football League than he was even at Colorado."

Shedeur Sanders will be under the spotlight ahead of the draft and on draft night as fans wait to find out whether he will be this year's No. 1 pick.