Insider notes on Shedeur Sanders’ QB class: Falling stock, biggest faults, and a forgotten Quinn Ewers

With the NFL draft 10 days away, the topic of conversation seemingly flooding the internet, sports talk radio, and sports channels around the nation is the landing spot of Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders; will he be a top-10 pick, and if he falls, who will eventually draft him?

Yet lost in the conversation is Quinn Ewers of Texas, a quarterback who led his team to consecutive appearances in the College Football Playoff semifinal game and someone who was spoken about as a potential top-10 pick by many of these talking heads just six months ago. So what’s the feeling inside the league?

Doing my best to put personal opinions aside, I spoke with several people in and around the NFL, trying to draw a consensus on why Sanders may be falling, as well as the reason people undervalue Ewers. I received an array of thoughts.

What are the major concerns around Shedeur Sanders' game?

NCAA Football: Oklahoma State at Colorado - Source: Imagn

I limited the conversation on Sanders to his play on the field, purposely staying away from any conjecture over off-the-field thoughts on the quarterback or his father.

While most complimented the quarterback’s accuracy, almost all pointed out that there’s little in his resume to suggest Sanders is a top prospect or deserves the billing of an early draft pick, other than the fact that he’s a quarterback.

Shedeur Sanders can't keep taking sacks

One of Sanders’ biggest faults over the past two years, pointed out to me, and something easily witnessed on film, was the propensity to hold the ball too long and take too many sacks, and often bad sacks.

And while many will argue that Colorado fielded a terrible offensive line, which is true, people I spoke with were quick to point out that opponents rarely blitzed Sanders, yet the quarterback refused to get rid of the ball and was taking bad sacks.

Some throwing mechanics are hard to change

Sanders’ fundamentals for throwing the ball are also disconcerting. To a person, I was told that holding the ball too long and then throwing with improper fundamentals is something that can be tough to coach out of a quarterback.

NCAA Football: Colorado NFL Showcase - Source: Imagn

The fact that Sanders lacks A-plus arm strength also means it’ll be tough for him to throw his way out of danger.

Looking at quarterbacks who have been consistent FBS starters the past two seasons, Sanders ranks in the bottom third in yards per completion as well as yards per attempt.

Despite the long-ball accuracy, quick checkdowns do matter

The numbers are a red flag, as while the Buffaloes' offense threw receiver screens on occasion, they primarily preferred to send the ball downfield. Their top four receivers led the offense in receptions, while running backs and tight ends combined for fewer than 45 catches all of last year.

Jaxson Dart of Mississippi, Cam Ward of Miami, Jalen Milroe of Alabama, and even Kurtis Rourke of Indiana were significantly better in the mentioned categories during 2024.

The fact that Sanders went just 13-11 during two seasons at Colorado is also alarming. And many wonder how the quarterback will take to outside coaching, as he’s primarily been coached by his father throughout his football career.

Besides his accuracy, Sanders was given high grades for protecting the football as well as his touchdown-to-interception ratio.

Last season, he threw 37 TDs versus 10 INTs. The prior year, his first with the Buffaloes, it was 27 TDs to just three INTs. His toughness and resiliency on the field are something people also point to as big positives.

Quinn Ewers: The forgotten signal caller

Colorado St. v Texas - Source: Getty

Then there’s Quinn Ewers, the Longhorns’ three-year starter who began his college career with a bang as a freshman against Alabama. Eventually, Ewers finished with a career record of 27-9 at Texas and, as previously mentioned, two appearances in the College Football Playoff semifinals.

In the day and age of quarterbacks leaving college early for the NFL, there are not many who win close to 30 games upon entering the draft.

Numbers back Quinn Ewers as one of the best prospects

For those who put weight into QBR ratings, Ewers’ combined rating over the past two seasons is one of the best compared to the top quarterbacks in this draft, surpassing the mark of Sanders as well as Tyler Shough.

League sources put a lot of weight in the decision of Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian to stick with Ewers after he suffered an injury early last season, then struggled against Georgia in mid-October.

Sarkisian did this despite Longhorns fans and the wider college football community shouting for Arch Manning to replace Ewers. Sarkisian’s faith in Ewers ultimately paid off for Texas and proved to be the right decision.

Ewers’ next game was against the Florida Gators, a team that fielded one of the worst defenses in the SEC, and he completed 70.4% of his throws for 333 yards and five TDs.

NCAA Football: Florida at Texas - Source: Imagn

Dart, one of the fastest-rising quarterbacks in this draft, completed just 58.5% of his throws for 323 yards with two TDs and two INTs against the same Gators defense two weeks later, as the Rebels suffered a stunning late-season defeat by a score of 24-17.

Shortcomings in Ewers' game

There are concerns over Ewers’ touchdown-to-interception ratio, which was not as good as Sanders’ this season. Teams also believe the Texas passer needs to improve his footwork on deep throws, as does Sanders, which will only make him more accurate down the field.

Where each player eventually gets drafted means little, as both are potential starting quarterbacks on Sundays. Yet many inside the scouting community wonder why so much conversation centers on Sanders being a very early pick, yet Ewers’ next-level possibilities are often ignored.