Tonight I was at a small concert at Little Horse in Louisville trying to focus on listening to the spacy jazz music of PrairieWolf — but my phone wouldn’t leave me alone.
“He’s not been drafted yet!”
“We’re through the 2nd round and no Sheduer.”
“Jalen FUCKING Milroe has been drafted – but not Sanders!”
“We are now at the end of the 3rd and he’s not going to get drafted tonight!”
“We need an emergency pod tonight on BuffsBlog to hear about what’s happening to Sanders!!!!”
And there it was. The bat signal was lit. And even though I’m leaving at 5 am tomorrow morning to drive 14 hours on an emergency road trip, I feel the need to check in — and vent. I’m equal parts dumbfounded and pissed off. What’s happened to Sheduer is cruel, unfair, and it can make someone into a conspiracy theorist very, very quickly.
And here’s why: Shedeur Sanders is a hell of a QB. He is the best QB in Colorado football history, which covers a lot of ground and includes former greats like Kordell Stewart, Bobby Anderson, Darian Hagan, Koy Detmer, and Joel Klatt. He had the 2nd highest completion percentage in college football last year with an adjusted completion percentage of over 81% (!). He had the 4th most “deep yards in college football” and yet the 3rd fewest turnover-worthy plays — all while playing behind an offensive line that was not good. His fundamentals are as good as any QB I’ve seen in college football. And he’s tough as nails in the pocket and delivers “ice in his veins” throws under pressure and on big downs.
From a football standpoint, it makes zero sense as to why he hasn’t been drafted.
Let’s say that again — from a football standpoint, it makes zero sense as to why he hasn’t been drafted.
Sure, he’s only in the 30th percentile in both height (6-foot-1.5) and weight (215 pounds). Sure, he has a tendency to hold onto the ball too long. Sure, his mobility is a little limited by NFL standards. But he does all the little things very, very well.
Pro Football Focus makes projections for how college players will fare in the NFL. PFF has analyzed Sanders and found that, in league average circumstances, Sanders as an NFL rookie projects to have a 63% completion percentage and average 7 yards per attempt. Let’s look at a couple of QBs from last year’s draft to see how they did in their rookie years: Caleb Williams had a 62.5% completion percentage and averaged 6.2 yards per attempt. Drake Maye had a 66% completion percentage and 6.7 yards per attempt. Bo Nix had a 66% completion percentage and averaged 6.7 yards per attempt.
Shedeur Sanders’ projected numbers are better than the #1 pick in the NFL draft last year, and as good as 2 other first round QBs — yet he’s not good enough to go in the first 3 rounds of the NFL draft?!!?!
It makes no sense from a football standpoint.
None.
So we need to look off the field.
My belief is that the NFL doesn’t want to have to deal with what one scout told me is the “Sanders Family Circus.” The NFL is too conservative and too “midwestern” to fully embrace the things that makes Shedeur Sanders unique. I think that NFL teams fear the cameras trailing their star QB (whether it’s Well Off Media or traditional media outlets), fear the potential rumors and scuttlebut that Deion Sanders might replace the team’s head coach, and fear the publicity that having a Sanders as the team’s franchise QB brings. Perhaps Shedeur Sanders is experiencing the 2nd or 3rd wave of the Tim Tebow tsunami, where teams fear bringing in Sanders because, like Tebow before him, his enormous off-field following makes it a PR nightmare to sit him or not play him. [For the record, and it’s ridiculous that I have to say this, but Sanders will be 10x the NFL QB that Tim Tebow was.]
And while there may be some truth about the difficulty of dealing with the Sanders Family Circus, my primary feeling tonight is one of sadness for Sheduer Sanders because this is cruel and unfair.
Tomorrow I’ll be driving through Kansas and Oklahoma and I suspect my phone will be buzzing at me constantly. I’ve decided I’m going to ignore it. Instead, I’m going to look forward to getting text messages in a year, or two years, or three years that say — “Did you see that game-winning throw by Shedeuer? We knew it all along.”
Well said. Sums up exactly my thoughts and feelings in a way that I probably couldn’t have done.
I think it is a damn shame that shedeuer hasn’t been drafted yet. Let’s look at a couple of things.
1. I think he is one of the best college QB out there if not the best.
2. What happen to given a person his due diligence for his work. One thing I can say he has put in the work. He has earned it and has the right to be drafted just like every body else. Stop judging him by his father works and what comes with his father. Just like his father he has earned everything he has by putting in the work know one has given him anything.And is still putting in the work.
I think everyone should boycott the NFL for this bullshit.
3. I will agree Dieon can talk the talk and back it up too.
4. I think his sons has put in the work just like everyone else and they deserve the same opportunity like everyone else.
5. The NFL knows this is some bull. My only question is when is one of those teams going to stand up and draft these young men?
6. I think Dieon has been a great father to his child and has set an example for them. What parent doesn’t want the best for their children I you better believe they are going to show them how to get there every step of the way. Dieon is not doing nothing that any other parent wouldn’t do. Look at Labron James he did it for his son, why can’t coach prime do it for his kids.
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I think what they are doing to this young man is cruel and unjustifiable! He should have been gone right after his teammate Travis Hunter! Keep the faith young man don’t worry you will be nothing but GREAT in the NFL!!!
He should have been drafted by now. Some are talking about his sacks. With the offensive line he had they should be talking about the times he got away and made a great pass. I am so angry, and my heart hurts for him.