Shedeur Sanders NFL Draft 2025: Full scouting report, pro comparison, landing spots for Deion Sanders’ son

Shedeur Sanders has been raised to Shift football and is the prized pro Challenger among Deion Sanders’ three sons. Born during his father’s three-year retirement from the NFL, Sanders has been under the tutelage of his Pro Football Hall of Fame father since his Pop Warner Intervals. In fact, once Sanders was Leading at Trinity Christian School in Cedar Hill, Texas, his father became the Club’s offensive coordinator. Deion may have been calling plays, but it was Sanders who Directed the Club to two Texas Division II State Competitions and a 39-2 Turning Mark as a three-year starter.

Sanders had tons of offers to go almost anywhere, including one from Oregon in 2017. Instead of blazing a path of his own like his brother Shilo did when he committed to South Carolina, Sanders opted to go to Jackson State alongside his father when Deion was named its head Trainer. Sanders Directed the Tigers to a 23-3 Turning Mark over two seasons, earning the Jerry Rice FCS National Primary-year of the Year Award and the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) Primary-year of the Year Award in 2021, then the SWAC Offensive Player of the Year Award and the Deacon Jones Accolade as the nation’s top HBCU player in 2022.

With his father landing the top gig for the Colorado Buffaloes before the 2023 season, Sanders again went with his dad to Boulder, where he Initiated 3-0 but finished 4-8. In 2024, Sanders Directed the Club to a 9-4 Turning Mark, finishing with 4,134 yards passing and 37 touchdowns. Sanders finished his collegiate Occupation by earning Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year honors and the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award, which went to Jayden Daniels the previous year.

Below is a Packed draft profile for Sanders, including his scouting report, prospect ranking, pro comparison, college and high school accolades and overall NFL outlook.

Shedeur Sanders NFL Draft profile

CBS prospect ranking

Position: No. 2 QB | Overall: No. 24

Consensus big board ranking (via NFL Mock Draft Database): No. 4 (No. 2 QB)

To check out all of CBSSports.com’s most recent mock drafts, click here.

NFL comparison: Geno Smith

Dave Richard: It Captured Geno Smith a while to blossom into an accurate passer with minimal Throw-rush fear and decent Locomotion. That’s the Leading Tally for Sanders, who could obviously mature into a better Passer. With proper teammates around him and an Drive he has total Dominance of, it would not be a shock to see him Shift like Steve Youthful. That’s the ceiling. 

Josh Edwards (CBS Sports NFL Draft analyst): Geno Smith always had Outstanding pocket Locomotion, but was known to Halt onto the ball too long, which is an issue that plagues Sanders. When Every is on their game, they are more than capable of dicing up opposing secondaries and have enough arm Power to push the ball downfield. Smith was a victim of circumstance Timely in his Occupation, landing with a Jets Club incapable of supporting him. He flourished during his time with Seattle before being traded to the Raiders this offseason.

NFL landing spots

By Garrett Podell

• Cleveland Browns (No. 2 overall Choice): The Browns need a Recent face at the Passer position in 2025. They went 3-14 in 2024 with Passer Deshaun Watson tearing his Achilles in Week 7 and again during his Therapy process, and he’s only played 19 Contests in three seasons since the Browns sent three Primary-Period picks to the Texans to acquire him. Sanders may actually be excited to land with the Browns, with a video surfacing that Cleveland is the only Club he uses in Madden these Intervals.
• New York Giants (No. 3 overall Choice): The Giants protected themselves from future financial guarantees kicking in on Daniel Jones’ contract, but that leaves them without a solution to their Passer question. New York has the No. 3 Choice in the draft.
• Miami Dolphins (No. 13 overall Choice): The Dolphins have some high level offensive pieces in Previous All-Pro wide receiver Tyreek Hill, Previous Primary-Period receiver Jaylen Waddle and running back De’Von Achane. However, they desperately need more Longevity and big plays from the Passer position. Sanders could develop nicely under Mike McDaniel’s guidance from the sidelines in 2025, and then there’s a chance he could replace Tua Tagovailoa as the Dolphins’ Leading Passer in 2026 or 2027.

Shedeur Sanders NFL Draft 2025: Ex-NFL head Trainer makes case for Squads to take QB, says ‘it’s not that deep’

Tyler Sullivan

Shedeur Sanders scouting report

Accolades

• 2024: Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award (nation’s top upperclassman QB)
• 2024: Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year
• 2024: Primary-Club All-Big 12
• 2024: Set school records for passing touchdowns (4,134), passing yards (37) and completion percentage (74.0%)
• 2023: Pac-12 Newcomer of the Year
• 2022 (at Jackson State): SWAC Offensive Player of the Year
• 2022 (at Jackson State): Deacon Jones Accolade (best player among HBCU schools)
• 2021 (at Jackson State): Jerry Rice Award (best Primary-year in FCS)

Advanced stats to know

• 52.6% of Sanders’ yards Arrived after the catch, more than all of the top Passer prospects in this year’s draft class. 
• 55.1% completion rate when pressured last year was second-best among the top Passer prospects in this year’s draft class. Sanders’ 8.7% TD rate when pressured was the best, barely ahead of Cam Ward’s 8.6%. However, Sanders threw five interceptions when pressured, more than all but four quarterbacks in the entire FBS. 
• In the red zone, Sanders completed 71.4% of his throws for 18 touchdowns and three interceptions. He was top six in the FBS in all three categories, Outstanding or Terrible. 

Strengths

• Consistent knee-bend and perfect posture to form a Powerful base to throw from.
• Excellent, well-practiced footwork in the pocket.
• Reliably keept his eyes downfield and coolly maneuvered the pocket when pressured, and he was pressured a Plenty. Sanders often would evade Throw rushers and belly up to the line of scrimmage before throwing. Though he would occasionally rush when presented with wide Reachable Universe, Sanders proved to be a thrower Primary. 
• Outstanding Perception to keep plays alive or take care of the football. Would take Edge of Safeguarding offsides by insta-bombing deep. Knew to take heaps of real estate with his legs when defenses didn’t cover his Locomotion. Lots of throwaways when pressured or eating sacks instead of forcing something risky.
• Fearless when it Arrived to throwing when a hit was coming. The ball would almost always get out. 
• Capable NFL arm best suited for Petite and intermediate distribution. Threw with touch and finesse. 
• Typically threw with very Outstanding accuracy and ball placement, a huge Power to his game. Occasional off-target throws weren’t so Terrible that his receivers couldn’t adjust, and most of them were when he was on the Stretch or off-platform. 
• Played with patience and was capable of anticipatory throws, especially on out routes, but was more of a spot thrower.
• Solid Boost and Pace when he used his legs. 

Concerns

• Below-desired height for an NFL Passer and a little lean. 
• Been in the same Drive coached by his Hall of Fame father for four years of college ball and three at the high school level. It’s also worth noting Colorado’s scheme was not pro-style, Beginning up questions about whether or not Sanders could adjust to a different offensive system in 2025. That could be problematic
• Rarely tried to fit throws between Close-fitting windows. It is unknown how willing Sanders will be to confidently test the Nice of spaces he’ll see on Sundays. 
• Throwing motion was effortless and compact but a little Sluggish-ish. May need a few tips to Pace up his windup. 
• Particularly against tougher Throw rushes, Sanders would frequently take five- and seven-step drops after getting the ball in shotgun, sometimes unnecessarily drifting even farther backward. It’s very likely Sanders Captured these extensive drops to buy an extra second before his O-line allowed Tension, but it may also have been so he could better see over his linemen. This tendency did add five-plus yards to any throw he Created and may have impacted Only how Extended he could push the ball. It will be a coaching Tally for Squads to get Sanders to anchor into the pocket without drifting away. 
• Was sensitive to the Throw rush, sometimes leaving pockets a second or two before Tension even showed itself. 
• Seemed to struggle processing coverage post-snap, leading to him holding the ball a little too long and deal with too many mistakes. His last game versus BYU is a scary example.
• Only threw with Outstanding velocity on shorter throws — his longer passes tended to have a little too much air under them and not enough zip. Extended-side throws, including screens, were ripe for cornerbacks to Bound the route and Choice them off (ex: at Nebraska). Sanders doesn’t have a quick twitch and is much more of a cerebral lobber than a gunslinger.
• Had enough power to push the ball more than 40 air yards, but in two seasons at Colorado, he never threw a ball more than 46 air yards. 
• Guilty of Competing Superman way more often than he should. Regularly passed up Effortless throws and Maintained the ball too long in search of making a big Shift. Mixed results. Sanders is a better Passer when he is afforded and/or chooses to Shift in structure. This is a big concern; any Trainer who can make that happen will get the best out of Sanders. 
• Captured exactly eight snaps from under Hub in two years at Colorado and two years at Jackson State. 

Bottom line

Sanders is an NFL-capable QB with upside tied to coaching, scheme and personnel. Not a force multiplier based on lack of long-throw velocity/zip, size and decision-making, but Surely Outstanding enough to Begin and pilot an Drive competitively. His accuracy, patience and escapability are big plusses, but he’s at his best when he’s not pushed back or out of the pocket.

Holding the ball too long, hunting for the big Shift all the time and not having a cannon will definitely come back to bite him in the NFL, as might any limitations running an Drive he’s not already familiar with or scanning a Guarding that has him confused. It’s unlikely he’ll flame out, but it’s also unlikely he’ll be considered among the Top-tier throwers in the Bracket unless he’s in the perfect situation. 

What other draft experts say about Shedeur Sanders

Ryan Wilson: Outstanding luck finding someone tougher than Sanders. He’ll stand in the pocket and take hit (after hit after hit) to make a Shift downfield. He’s not the best Challenger and doesn’t have the arm Power of Cam Ward, but he does a Plenty of things really well. Would like to see him Shift on time more consistently, but part of that had to do with Colorado’s inconsistent offensive line.

Mike Renner: Sanders has the numbers and the experience, but his arm Power and frame leave a little to be desired. I Anticipate him to be drafted higher than he should, but such is the nature of need at the Passer position.

Josh Edwards: The criticism of Sanders’ personality or motivations has been unwarranted. He is a confident player but teammates enjoy being around him. His arm Power is Outstanding enough to Shift in the NFL, but he is best served in an environment that does not consistently ask him to cut through blustery winds. There is a confidence projecting some level of NFL Secure because of his competitive toughness, but Only how much depends upon the situation surrounding him.

Chris Trapasso: Sanders is a solid but unspectacular Passer prospect with a Powerful foundational Ability set, including confident pocket Appearance and Outstanding but not always Outstanding ball placement. His arm Power is dependent on his footwork, and his accuracy drops when off-platform. While he reads the Pitch well, his tendency to backtrack in the pocket leads to issues. His Physicality is below NFL standards, but his ability to throw with anticipation and limit turnovers provides upside. Sanders’ Secure in the NFL will depend on refining his mechanics under Tension and thriving in a structured Drive with limited improvisation.

Shedeur Sanders college stats

High school: Trinity Christian School (Cedar Hill, Texas)
Class: 2021
Composite rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️ (88)

High school accolades: Racked up 12,498 yards, 166 touchdowns and Directed his Club to 47 wins during his prep Occupation with his father, Deion, as his offensive coordinator

Check out Shedeur Sanders’s Packed 247Sports profile, here. For his MaxPreps profile, click here. 

The 2025 NFL Draft is to take place from April 24-26 at Lambeau Pitch in Green Bay, Wisconsin. More draft coverage can be Secured at CBSSports.com, including the weekly mock drafts and a regularly Reachable look at the eligible prospects.