"Y'all make it seem like Peyton and Tom": Shannon Sharpe comes to Shedeur Sanders' defense as QB faces fire after pro day

Shedeur Sanders split his four-year collegiate career between the Jackson State Tigers and Colorado Buffaloes, putting up magnificent numbers at both stops. Despite helping turn both programs around – and appearing to be a surefire top-five pick in the 2025 NFL draft – the narrative around his draft status has begun to shift following his pro day on Friday.

While many have suggested that the son of Pro and College Football Hall of Famer Deion Sanders could fall in the draft, Shannon Sharpe sees things differently. Speaking to co-host Chad Johnson on their "Nightcap" podcast, the Pro Football Hall of Fame tight end said (Timestamp: 4:45):

"What are we doing here? At the end of the day, watch the tape. What do you see on tape? Are there some things – everybody has things that they can correct. Y'all make it seem like Peyton (Manning) and Tom (Brady) and everybody – there's something you can get better at, but to say a guy is flawless is just not true."

Johnson chimed in, adding that you can break down the film of NFL players who are at the top of their positional group and find flaws. While the younger Sanders has faced plenty of criticism during the predraft process, he is generally regarded as one of the top two quarterbacks in the class, along with Miami's Cam Ward.

Dan Orlovsky also defends Shedeur Sanders from critics

ESPN analyst Dan Orlovsky was one of several former NFL players to come to Shedeur Sanders' defense following criticism regarding his pro day.

"If you’re making a big deal about Sheduer patting the ball, now, after his pro day workout It means you haven’t watched a single snap of his tape and are automatically disqualified from having an opinion," Orlovsky tweeted.

Sanders faced criticism over his pro day workout after some took issue with him patting the ball before making throws. His performance during his collegiate career suggests that it has not affected him on the field, however, as he threw for 14,327 yards, 134 touchdowns and 27 interceptions. He completed 70.1% of his pass attempts while adding 17 rushing touchdowns.