Shedeur Sanders’ NFL Draft Stock Plummets: Former Jets Scout Breaks Down the Reasons Behind Colorado QBs Downfall

The blows on Deion Sanders’ confidence of his son ‘getting drafted as a top 5 QB‘ were many, but this one might be the most crushing yet. Former NFL scout Daniel Kelly at First Round Mock defines what might be the biggest shortcomings the QB might be fighting with on-gridiron. Shedeur Sanders is one of the most buzzing names for the 2025 NFL draft, sometimes for the right reasons and sometimes not. While his performance in the 2024 regular season might flip the narrative completely, the analysis from his previous seasons does not look good for Sanders in NFL terms.

“He plays like he is afraid to make a mistake,” the report highlighted. The struggle that the QB had to put in while playing last year, the clips prove to be the perfect proof of it. The nervousness, the double clutching, the hesitation, and waiting until the receivers were ready, everything made it all too obvious. Agreed the O-Line at Colorado was as bad as it could get but the snaps from his previous 10 games at Colorado concluded that the QB was too hesitant in the pocket, proven by the fact he has a slower time to throw (2.89 seconds per PPF).

Sanders’ passes are made after checking the receivers have made their breaks. This delay is the line that segregates him from good QBs, per Kelly, as a good QB anticipates the break and makes a throw before that, just in time to make everything fall in place. “It’s an offense tailor-built to his strengths while ‘attempting’ to keep his weaknesses from being exposed,” Kelly asserted, exposing the conservative-natured short passes. Despite the ‘tailor-built‘ O-Line, Shedeur was the most sacked QB (52) in CFB last season. And that’s not the worst part.

The other antagonistic reason

Shedeur Sanders’s mentality. His unsure decisions on the field reflect in the confidence he holds as a QB, mirroring the lack of confidence he has in himself. Kelly didn’t even mince his words when he said straightforwardly that Shedeur “folds like a tent under pressure.”

The fear flashing across Shedeur’s eyes is evident in the clips of his sacks. The QB almost braces himself for an impact, folding himself up to protect his body, resulting in a loss of yardage. Playing under pressure is the key quality top QBs have in the NFL. The pattern was common whenever Shedeur was sacked, even during his days at Jackson State.

His indecisiveness paired with him not being able to deal with pressure makes him an Undraftable Free Agent per Kelly’s Summer Grade. Would Kelly’s brutal verdict be shared by other top NFL scouts as well? If it does, it will be major bad news for Shedeur Sanders and his draft stock.