Daniel Jeremiah points to “main culprit” behind Shedeur Sanders’ 94 sacks amid Colorado QB's falling draft stock

NFL Draft analyst Daniel Jeremiah has identified poor offensive line protection as the primary reason behind Shedeur Sanders' alarming sack numbers during his college career.

Jeremiah, an NFL Network analyst and former scout, provided his assessment in his latest top 50 prospect rankings released on Wednesday. His take comes as NFL teams finalize their draft boards with the event just weeks away.

In his "NFL Draft prospect rankings 4.0" on NFL.com, Jeremiah placed Sanders at No. 19 overall. This position suggests the quarterback may not be selected within the top 10 picks, as many had previously projected.

"He isn't a sudden/twitchy mover when pressured, and that's part of the reason why he took so many sacks over the past two seasons. Still, the main culprit was poor protection. Despite taking some hellacious hits, he hangs in the pocket and doesn't drop his eyes to see the rush. His toughness is unquestionable," Jeremiah wrote.

NBA: Denver Nuggets at Dallas Mavericks - Source: Imagn

His breakdown comes as increasing doubt surrounds Sanders' draft status. On Tuesday, ESPN's Adam Schefter said that it's "increasingly unlikely" that Sanders will be drafted in the top three picks. This is despite previous projections that saw him being pegged by teams such as the Cleveland Browns and New York Giants.

Questions linger about Shedeur Sanders as the draft approaches

NCAA Basketball: Central Florida at Colorado - Source: Imagn

Pundits such as ex-NFL quarterback Matt Hasselbeck showed apprehension toward Shedeur Sanders in a visit to FS1's "The Herd with Colin Cowherd."

Hasselbeck downplayed Shedeur Sanders' NCAA-record completion percentage, saying,

"Listen, the 74% completion or whatever it was—a really high completion percentage—that doesn't mean all that much to me. Because he's not a guy that threw a lot of balls away."

Sanders' draft trajectory has taken several unexpected turns in recent months. Lance Zierlein, another prominent NFL draft analyst, predicted in his latest mock draft that Sanders could fall to the 24th pick. He wrote the Cleveland Browns might trade up to select him after using their No. 2 overall pick on Penn State edge rusher Abdul Carter.

The Colorado quarterback possesses several strengths that Jeremiah highlighted in his evaluation:

"Sanders is a slightly undersized quarterback with outstanding touch, accuracy and toughness. He operates out of the 'gun and is crisp in his footwork/setup," Jeremiah noted.

He also praised Sanders' compact delivery and ability to throw from a strong platform when given time.

As the draft approaches, questions about Sanders' size (6-foot-1, 212 pounds), mobility and leadership style continue to fuel debate among NFL evaluators.