Shedeur Sanders' NFL draft stock after Week 2: Looking at Colorado QB's chances of making Top 5
New year, same trouble. That's the tune to which Shedeur Sanders and Colorado are dancing in 2024. After a near miss in the opening game of the season against North Dakota State in Week 1 (31-26 W for Colorado), old issues cost Colorado the game in Week 2 against Nebraska. Sanders was sacked five times in the 28-10 defeat to the Cornhuskers.
However, this time it wasn't only down to the offensive line. He made some considerable mistakes of his own accord, although some might argue that was solely due to his offensive line's lack of protection. The signal-caller threw for 244 yards with one touchdown and an interception.
The interception could be considered the turning point of the game, as it was turned into a pick-six and put Nebraska 14-0 up. Shedeur shouldn't be too harshly admonished for the performance. Every quarterback has bad games, and the offensive line allowed the opposition to put him under undue pressure.
He will probably still be considered at least a top-10 pick. However, we would like to stray away from traditional wisdom and argue that Sanders shouldn't have been considered a top-five pick to begin with. His ability to lead an FBS program to victory remains untested.
His problem with sacks reoccurred at Jackson State (once he was sacked 35 times in the FCS). Could a bigger problem be hiding underneath? Perhaps an inability to scramble or to read defenses properly?
What could Shedeur Sanders do to improve his NFL Draft stock?
In truth, Sanders' draft stock would be greatly improved by playing under a different system. While the sacks might be down to the offensive line, behind it could be hiding an inability for Shedeur to scramble outside the pocket or read the blitz properly. There's also the fact that Deion Sanders has proved to be incapable of building an appropriate offensive line — at Colorado or Jackson State.
If Sanders wants to reach his true potential, he would do well to jump into the transfer portal if the 2024 season goes the same way 2023 did. He still has one year of athletic eligibility left.
He would be able to easily find a school with a system that better protects him, and the world of football would then be able to better assess his true mobility and ability to read opposing defenses. If any other quarterback with his potential was facing this kind of problem, he would immediately jump into the portal. The problem here becomes a family matter.
The question is: Is Shedeur Sanders ready to step out of his father's shadow?