Two months ago, the notion that Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders would be available to the Raiders with the sixth pick in the NFL draft was crazy talk.
But pick up most mock drafts these days, and not only does it seem likely that Sanders will be there at that point, but more than a few predict the team will pass on him altogether.
So, what exactly happened between Sanders’ last game at Colorado and now? He hasn’t taken a snap in more than two months, yet he’s gone from a consensus top-three pick to potentially sliding out of the first round in April.
Depending on who you talk to — and at this time of year, believe — Sanders does not possess elite traits, takes too many sacks, has only average arm strength and comes off as brash and overly confident.
One veteran NFL executive all but rolled his eyes at all that. Baker Mayfield was once seen as too cocky. Josh Allen was too inaccurate. Justin Herbert was too aloof.
NFL teams, which all have different preferences, miss on evaluations all the time. And they aren’t always honest this time of year as they try to get their preferred targets to fall to them.
“Quarterbacks can be polarizing prospects,” the NFL executive said. “And Sanders is no different. I don’t think he is falling off. There are 32 different teams looking at him, and everyone is finding out more about where teams have him. Some teams have him high, some have him lower.”
Even Sanders took the chatter with a grain of salt last week at the NFL scouting combine in Indianapolis.
The 23-year-old, who is the son of Colorado coach and Pro Football Hall of Famer Deion Sanders, has been scrutinized from almost the minute he picked up a football.
That spotlight grew brighter in recent years when Shedeur Sanders followed his father to Boulder, Colorado, and earned more than their fair share of attention — positive and negative.
Sanders just shrugs it off.
“You think I’m worried about what critics say or what people got to say?” Sanders said. “You know who my dad is? They hated on him, too. So, without people hating, it’s not normal for us.”
Proven winner
The biggest feathers in Sanders’ cap are the turnarounds that happened during his time at Jackson State and Colorado.
Jackson State won eight games combined the two seasons before Sanders showed up. The Tigers were 23-3 with him as their quarterback and reached two bowl games.
Colorado was 1-11 the year before Sanders arrived. The Buffaloes were 9-4 last season and went to the Alamo Bowl.
Sanders, in two seasons at Colorado, completed 71.8 percent of his passes for 7,364 yards, 64 touchdowns and 13 interceptions.
He believes he can provide the same kind of jolt to whatever NFL franchise he joins.
“I’ve done it at two locations already, so it’s simple,” Sanders said. “So that’s why, when people say I’m not one of the top quarterbacks or the top quarterback, it’s what are y’all going based off of? Because I did it year after year after year, and you see the progression.”
Sanders believes his critics aren’t basing their evaluations on his game tape.
“It’s got to be some type of external hate that you have for the family, for the last name, for anything,” Sanders said. “Because I know I proved myself on the field.”
Raiders’ ace in the hole
The Raiders have a notable connection to Sanders.
He has a longstanding relationship with minority owner Tom Brady, who is expected to have a significant voice in selecting the team’s next quarterback. The two have worked out together and Sanders signed a name, image and likeness deal with Brady’s nutrition and wellness brand TB12 two years ago.
It all started when Brady called Sanders on the phone and invited him to a workout in Florida.
“A couple years ago, he extended his hand,” Sanders said. “He was like, ‘Come work out with me in Tampa,’ so we flew down there, (my) dad came and we rode with him.”
Brady has been an asset to Sanders ever since.
“Being able to have that resource, being able to have that person I’m able to talk to and call whenever I’m having questions about the game, he’s able to relate to it, because he did it at the highest level,” Sanders said. “It’s truly amazing. I’m thankful for that.”
The Raiders need a quarterback and Brady knows Sanders as well as anyone.
The fit makes sense. No matter what the talk out of the combine is.
Contact Vincent Bonsignore at vbonsignore@reviewjournal.com. Follow @VinnyBonsignore on X.
