Shedeur Sanders is no stranger to the spotlight. Both his football ability and famous father put Sanders on NFL teams’ radars years ago. On Thursday, he’ll finally realize that dream, as Sanders is expected to be one of the top picks in the 2025 NFL Draft.
After starring at Colorado, Sanders is considered one of the elite quarterback prospects in the draft. Once Miami quarterback Cam Ward is off the board, it shouldn’t be long before Sanders hears his name called.
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If he can live up to the hype, Sanders could be a franchise cornerstone who drastically alters the fate of a downtrodden team for years to come.
Given his name, production and the fact that a fanbase is going to put all its hopes and dreams into his success, here’s everything fans need to know about Sanders heading into the 2025 NFL Draft.
Shedeur Sanders and his impressive family tree
Football fans are well aware Sanders comes from an athletic family. His father, Deion Sanders, made the NFL Hall of Fame after 14 seasons in the league. Deion was known as a shutdown corner who could completely take away a team’s best weapon. Over his career, Deion was named to six All-Pro teams, won the 1994 Defensive Player of the Year award and took home two Super Bowl titles. Deion played with five different teams over his career: the Atlanta Falcons, San Francisco 49ers, Dallas Cowboys, Washington Commanders and Baltimore Ravens.
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Deion was known for his tremendous athleticism. He saw time as both a kick returner and receiver in the NFL, and played nine seasons in MLB during the NFL offseason.
Deion went into coaching following his playing career. He spent three seasons coaching Jackson State, where he coached Shedeur and two-way star Travis Hunter. Deion left Jackson State for Colorado ahead of the 2023 season, bringing both Shedeur and Hunter along. While both Shedeur and Hunter are leaving for the NFL Draft, Deion will remain at Colorado and coach the Buffaloes next season — he recently signed a five-year, $54 million contract extension.
Shilo Sanders (21) and Shedeur Sanders (2) with their father and coach, Deion, during a 2024 game at Colorado. (Photo by Andrew Wevers/Getty Images)
(Andrew Wevers via Getty Images)
Shedeur’s older brother, Shilo Sanders, could also be selected in the 2025 NFL Draft. Shilo and Shedeur played together at Colorado the past two seasons. While Shedeur excelled on the offensive side of the ball, Shilo played safety. As a senior, Shilo, 25, played in 10 games with the Buffaloes. He tallied 67 combined tackles, with one sack and one forced fumble. Shilo is unlikely to be picked in the early rounds of the draft. He did not get invited to the NFL Scouting Combine and battled injuries in college. Given his name, Shilo could draw increased interest in the draft despite some limitations.
Shedeur Sanders makes history at Jackson State
Sanders solidified his draft stock at Colorado, but he made a name for himself at Jackson State. After his freshman year was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Sanders was quickly named the starting quarterback for his father’s team. Sanders was outstanding in his first year, throwing for 30 touchdowns against eight interceptions. That performance earned Sanders the Jerry Rice Award, which is given to the most outstanding freshman in college football. He was the first player from an HBCU to win the award.
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Sanders improved on those numbers as a sophomore, throwing for 40 touchdowns against six interceptions. After the season ended, Sanders entered the transfer program and eventually joined his father at Colorado.
Transfer to Colorado makes Shedeur Sanders a star
Sanders may have transferred to a new school, but his stats remained excellent. Sanders excelled immediately, averaging 356.2 passing yards per game in his first five starts with the Buffaloes. While the team finished a disappointing 4-8, Shedeur had 27 passing touchdowns and three interceptions.
He was even better as a senior. Sanders led the Big 12 in completions, attempts, completion percentage and passing touchdowns and helped Colorado to a 9-4 record. He ended the season with 37 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. That performance earned Sanders an eighth-place finish in the Heisman voting. Hunter, Sanders’ teammate, won the award.
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Shedeur Sanders won’t pull an Eli Manning at the NFL Draft
In 2024, Deion made comments suggesting he would try to control where Shedeur and Hunter went in the NFL Draft. Deion said he knew where he wanted both players to go in the draft, and claimed “certain cities” were going to be out of play. Deion added, “It’s going to be an Eli,” a reference to former New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning, who informed the San Diego Chargers he would not play for the franchise ahead of the 2004 NFL Draft. The Chargers, who held the No. 1 overall pick, did take Manning, but quickly traded him to the Giants for quarterback Philip Rivers, who went No. 4 overall.
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In March, however, Deion reversed course, saying he would not try to “orchestrate” Shedeur’s landing spot. Deion said he’s comfortable with wherever Shedeur is drafted because he knows Shedeur will excel with any team.
Shedeur Sanders scouting report
Yahoo Sports’ Nate Tice lauded Sanders for his toughness, arm and ball placement. Sanders will need to work on his timing and feel in the pocket, but was able to improve his pocket movement as a senior. Tice believes Sanders will need to land in a good situation to take that next step forward.
Sanders ranks No. 32 on Yahoo Sports’ 2025 NFL Draft big board, but will likely go higher than that due to his position. Quarterbacks tend to get pushed to the top of the draft based on their ability to completely change a franchise’s trajectory if they develop into superstars in the NFL.
While questions remain about Sanders’ ultimate upside, he has the production and pedigree worthy of being an early pick in 2025.
