Anonymous NFL coach claims Shedeur Sanders would "be a sixth-round pick" if not for Deion Sanders

An anonymous NFL coach believes that a large part of the hype around Colorado Buffaloes QB Shedeur Sanders is due to his last name being Sanders.

In an article published to Sports Illustrated on Tuesday, NFL analyst Albert Breer discussed various topics about the top QB's available in the draft process this year. Regarding Sanders, he outlined some quotes detailing how some people around the National Football League were unsure about whether Shedeur had the talent to succeed in the league.

"This guy—if his last name was Breer, and he was coming out of Minnesota, he’d be a sixth-round pick. He doesn’t play with good feet, he’s late on stuff, he has an average arm. His accuracy is O.K., but he has no timing, no anticipation. He flashes some throws, but he’s an average player, not a great athlete. Even if you watch his pro day, there’s no timing or rhythm. He takes extra hitches."

The comments are quite stark and outline the recent commentary around Sanders in recent weeks and months. At one time, Sanders appeared to be in contention for the No. 1 overall draft pick. However, recent mock drafts have seen Sanders drop down the draft order, even going as low as outside of the top 20 in some cases.

What can Shedeur Sanders bring to an NFL franchise?

Sanders is an extremely accurate QB who has a strong arm and is quite mobile as well. At Colorado in 2024, Sanders had 4,134 passing yards, 37 passing touchdowns, ten interceptions, four rushing touchdowns, and an impressive completion percentage of 74.0%.

Despite the recent criticism, Sanders has the ability to succeed at the NFL level in the right situation. He has shown that he can elevate players around him with the Buffaloes, most notably top NFL prospect Travis Hunter.

In NFL Draft analyst Daniel Jeremiah's 2025 NFL mock draft 3.0, Sanders was selected No. 3 overall by the New York Giants.

As Jeremiah noted:

"I’ll be curious to see what the Giants do here. If Abdul Carter is available at No. 3, that might change things, but in this scenario, they secure their answer at quarterback."