Former Colorado Buffaloes quarterback Shedeur Sanders ended the season as one of the best passers in the nation, improving his stock in the eyes of teams months out from the 2025 NFL Draft. With the pre-draft process now underway, he’s already making an impression on coaches.
Sanders, age 22, faced questions earlier this season over potential ‘baggage‘ that teams were concerned about. It made the pre-draft process, where he’d meet individually with NFL coaches, critical to solidify his status as a potential top-five pick. Fortunately for him, things are already going well.
- Shedeur Sanders stats (ESPN): 4,134 passing yards, 37-10 TD-INT, 74% completion rate, 8.7 yards per attempt, 168.2 QB rating, 4 rushing touchdowns
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According to Titans’ reporter Turron Davenport of ESPN.com, coaches working with Sanders ahead of the East-West Shrine Bowl have been impressed with Sanders’ coachability. Four coaches who all worked with Sanders this week all said he was “pleasant to work with and willing to do whatever they ask” from him.
While Sanders isn’t playing in the game itself, he is sticking around for practices to immerse himself in the process and demonstrate his maturity and coachability to scouts and NFL coaches in attendance. It’s especially noteworthy because interviews have been viewed as a critical element for Sanders this offseason amid lingering questions over his maturity and leadership
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Davenport also wrote that Sanders met with NFL teams on Friday, including the Cleveland Browns, New York Giants and Tennessee Titans. Turning 23 on Feb. 7, Sanders made a positive impression on Titans coach Brian Callahan during their meeting.
“He’s really poised and had mature way about him. You can tell he’s been in the spotlight and knows how to handle it”
Tennessee Titans HC Brian Callahan on quarterback Shedeur Sanders (via ESPN.com)
As for why Sanders didn’t practice, Charles Robinson of Yahoo Sports reported that the Giants, Browns and Titans all asked Sanders not to practice. From the team’s perspective, there’s no sense in one of the top quarterback prospects in the 2025 NFL Draft to risk getting hurt.
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Sanders will have further opportunities to impress coaches during one-on-one interviews at the Senior Bowl and the 2025 NFL Scouting Combine. Given his early impressions this weekend, the pre-draft process seems to be going well for Sanders and boosts his odds of being a top-three pick in the 2025 NFL Draft.