"He never gets too high, never gets too low": QB coach draws parallels between NFL star & Shedeur Sanders

Even before entering the NFL, Coach Prime's son Shedeur Sanders has drawn bold comparisons from experts and football pundits. His confident attitude, on-field dominance and leadership abilities make him a unique prospect in the 2025 NFL draft.

While speaking about his character to NFL insider Tom Pelissero, Shedeur's longtime QB coach Darrell Colbert Jr. shared his thoughts on how the passer has evolved and how he could improve his game. Colbert Jr. mentioned that the Colorado standout bears a remarkable resemblance to Joe Burrow.

He claimed that the Cincinnati Bengals quarterback never loses his cool and remains stoic throughout the game, which Shedeur Sanders followed during college.

“Joe Burrow. I think Joe Burrow is a great fit. I had one, one of the guys from Colorado actually brought that up last year when I was trying to kind of figure out who kind of fit who Shedeur was,” Colbert Jr. said on the Rich Eisen show on Thursday. [Timestamp - 3:30]

“I think that was a great fit. You know, just the way Joe Burrow is always confident, always calm," Colbert Jr. added. "Like, Shedeur is always this. He’s one of the guys who’s literally always there. He never gets too high, never gets too low. Joe does a great job of being accurate, understanding the system. I think the comparison really works is, you know, what was that the year that Joe and them went to the Super Bowl? He was sacked a lot.

Similarly, he was hit numerous times and sacked just like Burrow, but that didn't affect their overall season performance. Shedeur recorded the highest career completion percentage in college football.

"He was the most sacked quarterback in the NFL. Still productive. That’s who Shedeur was, you know, last year. You know, being sacked over 50 something times and still being productive, still at the top of all the quarterback statistics and different things like that. So you know how accurate Joe is. Same thing with Shador. Very sneaky, athletic, same thing with Shedeur. So I think that’s a great fit for him,” he added.

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QB coach opens up on improving areas for Shedeur Sanders

The former SMU quarterback mentioned that the passer is nuanced with almost all areas of the game, especially regarding coverages and reading the field. However, he believes he can improve on passing the ball quickly and staying away from defenders.

He was sacked more than 52 times in the 2023 season, during which Colorado recorded a 4-8 campaign. Things like these will affect the NFL a lot, as the pace and intensity of the game are much higher. However, Colbert Jr. is confident about Shedeur Sanders’s ability to adapt and claims he will be ready soon.