Shedeur Sanders‘ dramatic slide to the fifth round of the 2025 NFL Draft shocked many, but to former Pittsburgh Steelers running back Merril Hoge, it was expected.
During a candid radio interview just days before the draft, Hoge laid out exactly why he believes the former Colorado quarterback may never become a reliable NFL starter.
Appearing on 102.5 WDVE in Pittsburgh on April 23, Hoge described Sanders as a solid college quarterback-but nothing more.
While Sanders showed flashes of brilliance at the collegiate level, Hoge argued that his most essential quarterback traits, like accuracy and processing, rate as merely “average.”
“I think the best way to sum him up is, he’s a really good college quarterback: His accuracy is good, his processing is good,” Hoge said. “And when I say good, I use a scale from 1 to 10, so good is around a five.”
In Hoge’s view, that rating doesn’t justify selecting Sanders as a long-term NFL solution. His concern centers not on raw athleticism but on a playing style that may not translate well to the next level.
Too many screens, not enough substance?
Hoge specifically took issue with Sanders‘ inflated completion percentage-74% in 2024-which he attributed to Colorado’s overreliance on short passes.
According to data cited during the interview, more than a third of Sanders‘ passes (168 in total) were thrown behind or at the line of scrimmage. That kind of stat padding, Hoge claimed, gives a false impression of quarterback efficiency.
“Nobody threw more bubble screens than Shedeur Sanders when it mattered,” he said.
The former Steeler acknowledged that Colorado’s shaky offensive line may have played a role in that approach, but argued that elite quarterbacks should be able to produce in a broader scheme.
“You’re going to protect the kid,” Hoge said of the playcalling. “I get that from a coaching aspect.”
Looking at recent draft success stories, Hoge pointed to quarterbacks like C.J. Stroud, Jayden Daniels, and Joe Burrow-and said Sanders doesn’t compare.
“That’s the skill set you’re looking for,” he said. “He ain’t even close, he ain’t even in the ballpark. … There’s some toughness to him I like, but how he moves, he ain’t going to put fear in anybody.”
Concerns about late-season decline and pressure
Hoge‘s doubts didn’t stop with Sanders’ mechanics. He pointed to the quarterback’s late-season slump at Colorado-specifically a poor showing against BYU in the Alamo Bowl-as another red flag.
“He got worse as the year went on,” Hoge said, comparing Sanders’ bowl performance unfavorably to that of Mitch Trubisky.
Perhaps most damning of all was Hoge‘s warning to any team considering Sanders as a future franchise player: “He can’t handle the expectations that are coming his way. He’s going to be an epic failure and he’s going set your organization back another two or three years.”
Now a Cleveland Brown, Sanders will have to compete with Joe Flacco, Kenny Pickett, and Dillon Gabriel for reps. As a fifth-round pick, he may not be under the same pressure he would have faced as a first-rounder-but the spotlight remains.
Hoge‘s predictions may be harsh, but they echo his past criticism of Johnny Manziel, whom he famously predicted would flop in the NFL. Manziel lasted just two seasons. The Browns hope this won’t be déjà vu.
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