"Could drop a little bit": Former NFL star highlights Shedeur Sanders' red flags as he delivers verdict on his draft fate
Shedeur Sanders might not have to wait long to hear his name called in the 2025 NFL Draft. Or maybe he could sit around as other players are taken, wondering when he'll learn his professional destination. Surely, fans will be watching as things unfold at that event.
Former Seattle Seahawks quarterback Matt Hasselbeck, who started for that team in Super Bowl XL, highlighted some of Sanders' drawbacks.
"I think that there's a DNA or a sense in some teams, though, where they don't really love some of the other stuff we've seen," Hasselbeck said Monday on "The Herd with Colin Cowherd."
"Some of the taunting, not shaking hands, all the penalties, pushing the referee. Like, some of that kind of stuff might give some people pause, but, no, I think he's gonna have a successful career."
Hasselbeck then shared what he thinks will happen to Shedeur Sanders at the draft.
"At the same time, I think he could drop a little bit on Day 1."
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Shedeur Sanders saw his stock take a dip in some recent mock drafts, with one having him fall into the latter stages of the initial round.
Bomani Jones 'would not be surprised' if Shedeur Sanders slid in the NFL Draft
Wave Sports + Entertainment's Bomani Jones compared Shedeur Sanders' possible NFL Draft situation to that of a player who's carved out quite a successful career for himself.
“I would not be surprised if Shedeur wound up having a Geno Smith night if he shows up on Night 1 and it goes all the way through,” Jones said earlier this month on his podcast, "The Right Time with Bomani Jones."
Jones believes quarterbacks must have a tangible distinguishing feature to stand out to professional franchises, who have a lot riding on the position.
“It would not shock me," Jones said. "Teams are not really going for the ‘It’s just something about him’ guys. They’re looking for big dudes with tools, right? Some exceptional or — perhaps, they’d like even more — collection of exceptional talents that you possess.
"I don’t think any of us can point to Shedeur and say, ‘What is the exceptional talent he possesses?’ What you can say is, ‘He’s got the willingness to stand in there and wait for the play to develop and he’ll, you know, be the tough guy and make that throw.”
Shedeur Sanders is regarded as being closer to Miami's Cam Ward in terms of potential than he is to the rest of this year's signal-caller group, which includes Ole Miss' Jaxson Dart, Alabama's Jalen Milroe, and Louisville's Tyler Shough.
If Sanders isn't taken in the top five, teams such as the New Orleans Saints and Pittsburgh Steelers are ones to keep an eye on.