Colorado QB Shedeur Sanders Gets Compared To The Last NFL Quarterback You’d Ever Expect

Shedeur Sanders looks on during Colorado's spring game.Shedeur Sanders (Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images)
Much has been said about Shedeur Sanders since he transferred to Colorado with his father to lead a new era for the Buffaloes.

Shedeur Sanders and Colorado took the college football world by storm early last season, but they ultimately started to fall off a cliff that would never stop.

Sanders is one of the more polarizing players eligible for the 2025 NFL Draft. Some view him as worth the No. 1 overall pick, while others question whether he’s a first-round talent.

According to NFL.com analyst and former NFL scout Daniel Jeremiah, Sanders has a similar playing style to Seattle Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith coming out of college.

“Like Smith during his time with the Mountaineers, Sanders plays in a wide-open college offense that showcases his polish as a passer,” Jeremiah wrote. “Both Smith and Sanders have beautiful throwing motions and deliver a firm/catchable ball. While each is capable of taking the free yards presented in the run game, neither is dynamic as a ball-carrier.

“Following a long, rocky start to this NFL career, Smith blossomed into a Pro Bowl quarterback. I see similar upside in Sanders.”

 

Jeremiah continued: “They are point guards who play really well within the confines of the play call; they aren’t unscripted, creative playmaker types. It’ll be important for Sanders’ NFL team to realize how to best utilize his skill set.”

This past season, Shedeur Sanders passed for 3,230 yards, 27 touchdowns, and three interceptions. His numbers could’ve been even better as he played in only 11 games due to injury during the 2023 season.

He was hardly protected last season and still managed to complete 69.6 percent of his passes.

Sanders has shown the ability to be a smart passer who does an excellent job progressing through his reads and making quick, accurate throws. That is extremely important if he wants to succeed at the next level.

Geno Smith struggled early in his NFL career, but the Seattle Seahawks starting quarterback has a 96.8 quarterback rating and a 67.4 percent completion rate over the past two seasons.

Trade Proposal Has Raiders Landing Shedeur Sanders In Draft

The Las Vegas Raiders need a standout quarterback to lead a new era.

In a recent 2025 mock draft, ESPN’s Matt Miller pitched a deal to make that happen. He has the Raiders send the Carolina Panthers a 2025 first-round pick, a 2026 first-round pick, and a 2027 second-round pick to move up to No. 2 so they can select Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders.

“The Raiders went 8-9 last season, and the late-season 5-4 surge under coach Antonio Pierce didn’t have much to do with the quarterback play,” Miller wrote in a July 2 column. “The team had 20 passing touchdowns to 18 interceptions, as rookie Aidan O’Connell replaced Jimmy Garoppolo for 11 games. O’Connell may prove his status in Year 2, but the early read on Las Vegas is that it needs a quarterback. Sanders is a legitimate Heisman contender if Colorado can string together some wins. His accuracy, toughness, and poise would make him a rookie starter for the Raiders and give the offense some much-needed swagger. He threw 27 touchdown passes to three interceptions for the Buffaloes last year.”