Shedeur Sanders did not work out at the 2025 NFL Scouting Combine, though he was one of the most talked-about prospects coming out of last week’s event.
The Colorado quarterback, who is expected to be one of the first quarterbacks drafted this year, met with teams at Lucas Oil Stadium. Afterward, the rumors, as they so often do during the pre-draft process, started flying.
One quarterbacks coach, whose team is picking in the top seven, claimed Sanders came off as “brash” and “arrogant,” according to NFL insider Josina Anderson. That was an assessment that Anderson disagreed with for various reasons, such as her interactions with Sanders, the way he behaved in his media session at the combine and the evolution of college athletes.
Todd McShay, a longtime draft analyst, also said he heard from two teams that felt Sanders didn’t care what they thought of him during the interview process, in a way that “wasn’t a professional approach.”
Whether there’s any truth to them or not, these reports could hurt Sanders’ draft stock. The Athletic wrote there’s a chance Sanders couldn’t just fall out of the top six, but out of the first round.
Just as Sanders had Ohio State quarterback Will Howard’s back, others soon came to his defense.
His dad, Colorado head coach and Pro Football Hall of Famer Deion Sanders, headed to social media to support his son. He reposted several videos, including segments from FS1’s “The Facility” and “Breakfast Ball,” that took issue with those negative reports about Shedeur.
Let’s check out some of those opinions below.
Shedeur Sanders is a confident guy. So what?
A common theme among the former players who weighed in on Sanders’ situation was that his confidence is a feature, not a bug.
“I think Shedeur Sanders’ security makes a lot of people insecure,” former NFL linebacker Emmanuel Acho said on “The Facility” on Tuesday. “I think Shedeur Sanders realizing, ‘wait a second, I’ve made money before I got to the NFL. Wait a second, my pops has already taught me about the value not only of money but the value, most importantly, of myself.’ Shedeur Sanders has realized, ‘wait a second, who are you to dictate how I should feel, how I should think, how I should I act, and how I should move?’
“So when Shedeur Sanders comes off as confident, comes off as secure, comes off as knowing who he is, you, insecure, dictate his security as something that’s an issue.”
Former NFL offensive lineman Mark Schlereth, and current co-host of “Breakfast Ball,” shared a similar view.
“A lot of draft evaluators are stupid. Show me a quarterback who’s not arrogant. Ever sit with a guy who’s going to be a star quarterback? Most of them are arrogant. Most of them have a lot of belief in what they do.”
Super Bowl-winning wide receiver Keyshawn Johnson had a problem with someone’s attitude, but not Shedeur’s, as he explained on “Speak.”
Shedeur Sanders: Was the QB Coach right or overreacting about his NFL Combine attitude? | Speak
“You get these coaches that are not accustomed to dealing with, or having these conversations with individuals at this position that have a certain snap, crackle, pop to them. They don’t walk and talk like the quarterback position. That’s the only thing they’ve ever coach. They’ve only coached this type of quarterback.
“And he’s smiling, and being himself. They’re not used to that. They want him to be something that he’s not.”
“Either put your name on it or shut up”
Two other ex-NFL players took serious issue with coaches, and others behind the scenes, who anonymously bash draft prospects.
“You could say this to your coaches, your ownership, GM, right? But why are you saying this to the media? Another thing is, I hate when people don’t ever put a name on it. Because who’s really saying that?” former running back LeSean McCoy said on “The Facility.”
“You want to whisper behind somebody’s back and that makes you, I guess, feel weird because Shedeur is super confident. Because Shedeur knows who he is. Shedeur knows what he brings to a team. He knows his talent. And that makes you uncomfortable? I hate people like that.”
NFL QB coach says Shedeur Sanders was ‘brash’ and ‘arrogant’ during team interview | The Facility
“Coach is a coward. Put your name on it,” longtime Bengals receiver T.J. Houshmandzadeh said on “Speak.”
“I’m tired of coaches, every year at the combine, kicking dirt on these kids. I was just at the combine. And they ain’t gonna talk about how Shedeur was trying to comfort Will Howard … they ain’t gonna talk about that. They always want to kick dirt on a kid. Either put your name on it or shut up.”
This happens every year, but Shedeur will be OK
Every year in the lead up to the draft, at least one top prospect — usually a quarterback but not always — is picked apart by draft evaluators. This year, it’s Sanders’ turn.
“I just remember last year at this time, Bo Nix falling,” Schlereth said. “People saying, ‘Hey, Bo Nix is going to be a second-rounder and Bo Nix is not the … by the way, that guy was one of the best quarterbacks in this rookie class last year. So I don’t worry about the evaluators say about Shedeur Sanders. I think the guy is a big-time player.”
Schlereth, unlike most of the current conversations surrounding the quarterback, actually spoke about Sanders’ ability on the field.
“He’s incredibly accurate. He really understands not only offensive football, but he understands what you’re doing as a defense. So he’ll pick you apart that way. He processes quickly. Like, all of those things to me are big-time attributes,” he added.
“It happens every single year. They try to push you down for whatever reasons. And I think Shedeur will be fine regardless,” Johnson said. “All he is a carbon copy of his dad. How’d that work out?”
Have you met his father, Deion Sanders?
To Johnson’s point, Deion Sanders was a self-assured player in his own time. “Prime Time” was an eight-time Pro Bowler and six-time All-Pro cornerback who won two Super Bowls and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2011. He even released an album and hosted “Saturday Night Live” during this playing career.
“Who do you think his dad was? Remember 1989, the New York Giants wanted to interview Deion Sanders,” Acho went on. “Deion said, ‘Where do you y’all pick at?’ They said in the 17 range. Deion Sanders said, ‘oh I’m going to be long gone before y’all ever pick’ and he walked up out of the room.
“Apple, tree, who do you think raised Shedeur Sanders?” Acho concluded.
And Deion Sanders was right. The Atlanta Falcons took him with the No. 5 pick that year.
“Do you know who Shedeur’s father is?” Houshmandzadeh asked rhetorically. “You don’t think he was bred from day one to believe in yourself, to always have confidence in yourself? He was bred that way.”
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