Shedure Sanders NFL Draft outlook: Deion’s son shines in 2024 debut for Colorado in win over NDSU

Colorado’s first game of Year 2 in the Deion Sanders era on Thursday night was closer than many of us — including Vegas — expected, yet Shedure Sanders was terrific all evening in the 31-26 win, a performance that was not only enough for the Buffaloes to avoid defeat, but was filled with NFL-level throws.

There were many such efforts, his effortless 445-yard outing deserving of immediate evaluation.

Let’s start with the post throw under pressure in the first half. Now, North Dakota State’s coach later pointed out in a between-quarter interview that this was a bad coverage. And maybe it really was.

But the way Sanders initiated this drop back by looking left, checking an intermediate route, then delivering the long ball up top while collapsing in front of the pocket was spectacular and was an excellent display of his speed, allowing him to calmly move the ball and showing his experience as a passer.

Sanders had a pretty impressive first half of the first game of the season. It looked like it was a play that was going to end in a sack or an awkwardly dropped football that fell incomplete or was intercepted. Ultimately it was none of those things.

Then there was his perfect “feathered” over route for a speedy receiver that required ideal timing, accuracy, trajectory and velocity to give the ball enough height to get past a sinking, underneath linebacker, but before the ball could reach its destination before the deep safety could knock the ball loose with a well-timed big hit.

Sure, Sanders stayed locked into his first read on that throw, but not every high-level play a quarterback makes from inside the pocket comes after he goes through a full list of progressions.

What I really like here is how, instead of rushing this long sideline throw and trying to throw a strike with poor footwork, Sanders stepped to his left before releasing the football very quickly. It was subtle but very much in keeping with the rules.

To prove that the first ‘wow throw’ of the evening was no fluke, Sanders hit another incredibly audacious deep shot in the second half that was covered by a defender inside the pocket.

He needed to make this throw with anticipation because of the oncoming defender, and he threw it to a sinking safety on this vertical concept. This is NFL-level stuff here.

And as we all know well — in today’s NFL, sometimes you have to show off your arm strength. And Sanders did just that, on a right sideline connection to Travis Hunter that went a hair’s breadth away, at least 55 yards from the near sideline to the far hash.

He was able to rotate his lower body to get more power behind the pass, however, and it was an amazing display of how much arm strength he has, and his willingness to scan the entire field to find a potential target.

Having a sixth sense with your receivers is a huge deal at all levels, especially in the NFL when air-tight coverage is common. All the best quarterback-receiver tandems have this connection.

Check out how here, on this touchdown pass to Hunter, Sanders saw the cornerback’s potential and (possibly) intentionally hit his star receiver in the shoulder from behind, creating separation for him to catch the pass.

The last throw I’ll highlight is just plain stupid. Elite level courage, placement, coverage readings – this pass had it all, except it fell incomplete due to tremendous coverage from a North Dakota State defender.

We have to remember — Sanders was amazing in a season-opening win over TCU a season ago, but then he faded — though that was more about the team than Sanders’ play. And as much as North Dakota State is an FCS powerhouse, we’ll have to see Sanders do all that against Power 4 competition, which is a challenging Big 12 schedule this season, to truly honor him.

However, 2024 started off extremely well.

This was an update to a 2023 article I wrote after Sanders’ impressive performance in his Colorado debut, which you can read below.

Watching Colorado-TCU last weekend, you probably thought to yourself, “ Deion Sanders’ kid… be able to In fact Shedure Sanders made his Power 5 debut, throwing for over 500 yards, scoring four touchdowns and throwing no interceptions in a huge win on the road against a team that played for the national title last season.

And today, you might be wondering how good of an NFL Draft prospect is he? He was at Jackson State for two years and then burst onto the national scene on Saturday.

Of course, Sanders’ draft prospects weren’t cemented by a season-opening performance. But I’ll do my best to answer the thoughts that may be on everyone’s minds.

Before watching the film, I reached out to an NFL scout to get his thoughts.

“Gotta remember. He had offers from some big schools. And against TCU he showed what I like about him. He really doesn’t want to run. He wasn’t that kind of guy at Jackson State. Pass-first confident. He can’t be taken in Round 1 right now. His qualities are there. And the discussion won’t stop.”

Despite his athleticism, Sanders showed emphatically that he wants to beat opponents with his mind and hands before anything else. Saturday was not a performance in which a quarterback looked overwhelmed by the speed and complexity of the defense and simply leaned on his feet to move the football. That was simply not the case.

Let’s take a look at Sanders’ performance against TCU and see what elements he displayed that can also be applied to the NFL and that sparked incredible buzz for a first-round pick.

While not every one of Sanders’ eight attempts from 20 or more yards were perfect, he did display the ability to throw in the right direction and put the shot on touchdown on a few occasions. This first-half throw to Travis Hunter is a great example of that.

Great extension from the ultra-flexible Hunter, but he couldn’t secure the catch. From Sanders’ perspective, the ball was placed in a spot where only Hunter could make a play on it. That’s what you can expect from your quarterback in such situations. Speaking of that, this next throw on 3rd-and-6 in the second half didn’t feature a great grab from his receiver, but was another example of Sanders dropping it in a bucket down the sideline.

Also notice how he looked to the left and looked completely comfortable making the throw from his end zone. No panic.

In my estimation, Sanders’ best throw of the afternoon came on the next drive. Again, he started with protection in the middle of the field and didn’t see his intended target on the right sideline.

Sanders then threw a gorgeous teardrop ball over the shoulder of his wideout, just beyond the outstretched arms of the trailing cornerback, who didn’t have the worst coverage on the play.

It was like a textbook thrown out of a small window. The condition of the ball couldn’t have been better.

As we’ve come to understand in this era of elite, rocket-arm quarterbacks, arm strength isn’t just important for launching a moon ball down the field. More often, it’s a necessity on long intermediate throws. Sanders provided a glimpse of the velocity he can create with his release on this first-half throw to an open receiver from the far hash.

Now, that throw demonstrated that Sanders won’t be confused with Patrick Mahomes, but the NFL has seen very few quarterbacks with great arm strength selected in the first round over the past decade. The important thing is that Sanders checks the “NFL-caliber arm” box. That also won’t be a concern for those scouting during the pre-draft process.

But getting to Round 1 — and eventually succeeding in the NFL — requires more subtlety than deep-ball accuracy and a strong arm. And Sanders displayed plenty of subtlety against TCU. Let’s take a look at that subtlety now.

How about faster processing? On the game-winning drive, look at how Sanders checked the classic slant-flat concept to first and instead of hitting the swing pass into the flat, which was open but clearly would have equated to minimal gain. He bought Hunter time in the pocket to run through the first throwing window and hit the second window behind the inside linebacker.

Sanders knew he was welcoming the hit by being patient on that play. But it was worth it. The throw moved the chains. Next level talk is right here.

How about touch on throws other than deep downfield? Look at how Sanders placed this throw over an intermediate crosser and over a second level defender and in between two defensive backs. Floated beautifully with just the right amount of zip.

That’s beautiful. And Sanders did it by floating himself toward the throw. He didn’t deliver from a completely stable, solid base. That ability is needed in today’s NFL and it’s part of the construct of the term “arm talent.”

Even today, when quarterbacks are protected more than ever by the rules – you have to be tough. You’re going to take shots. Was that on display against TCU? Yes. Look here, when Sanders was waiting for an in-breaker to develop and an inside rusher was attacking him. That defender gave up the shot just seconds after he threw a strike up the middle.

All this pocket passing is great. It’s really great. But what about creativity with his feet? Is he mobile? That’s also become a requirement to be a top-level quarterback these days. Sanders demonstrated that on Saturday in Fort Worth, Texas.

On a play in which he was forced out of the pocket and to the left, Sanders stopped on a dime to avoid a rusher — and get help from a blocker — before finding an open target over the middle. He eventually took a shot after dropping the football. But the successful play was made,

Most of all, Sanders played with clear confidence throughout the game, in a contest on the road, against a ranked opponent, with a lot of anticipation for a team that was built more uniquely than any other in the history of college football. All of this will go a long way in increasing Sanders’ allure as a draft prospect.

Now, it’s very early for Sanders and Colorado. There will be ups and downs. The usual ups and downs of a season. However, first-round hype has to start somewhere, and with Sanders, it’s not unreasonable due to his high-profile pedigree. If he continues to play even slightly close to the way he did against TCU, I truly think he will be widely regarded as a first-round quarterback.