"The tape doesn’t lie": Former NFL QB defends Shedeur Sanders after harsh criticisms over his attitude

Colorado Buffaloes quarterback Shedeur Sanders is projected to be one of the first two QBs selected in the 2025 NFL draft alongside Miami's Cam Ward. As a result, he is in the mix to be a top five pick. However, Sanders has been heavily criticized by some members of the media.

Most notably, former NFL scout Daniel Kelly has called Sanders out for character concerns several times. He posted a list of 13 character red flags on X in December and has reposted it several times, most recently on Feb. 23.

"Teams need to question Shedeur Sanders about his character — I’ve never seen a prospect in the NFL Draft with more pre draft character red flags," Kelly tweeted.

Daniel Kelly and other analysts have also questioned whether his skills will translate to the NFL level. However, there are still many people who defend Sanders for his antics off the field and his success on it.

On Wednesday, former NFL quarterback Dan Orlovsky broke down some of Shedeur Sanders' film in a post on X, writing, "The tape doesn't lie," when looking at his abilities.

"So much conversation coming out of the combine about Shedeur and the slide and the drop," Orlovsky said. "Look, so you're out of your mind if you think Shedeur can't play. The tape sometimes is such a difficult evaluation because so often clips look like this. No. 1, watch the protection just how quickly it evaporates.

"So, less than two seconds, you're getting pressured. It's just a four-man rush by Baylor defensively. By the top of his drop, there's internal pressure."

In the clip, Orlovsky showcases that Shedeur Sanders had to deal with a poor Colorado offensive line this past season. He did this by looking at a play where he only had two seconds to throw the ball, even when Baylor only had four players rushing the passer.

NFL reporter says Shedeur Sanders didn't get much positive feedback at the NFL combine

Shedeur Sanders did not participate in the NFL scouting combine, but he was available for interviews. The same was true for Miami QB Cam Ward. NBC's Matthew Berry reported that teams were left with distinctly different impressions of each player:

"When talking about the projected top two QB picks this year, every team I spoke to loves Ward. And I didn’t hear a ton of positive about Sanders."

However, Berry also mentioned that while many teams did not like Sanders, the Cleveland Browns, who hold the second pick, liked both QBs.