Mel Kiper Jr. makes bold Shedeur Sanders NFL comparison to former Dolphins QB
ESPN NFL draft analyst Mel Kiper Jr. made a surprising player comparison to Colorado Buffaloes quarterback Shedeur Sanders.
Sanders will likely be the second QB selected in the 2025 NFL draft. However, there have been mixed thoughts on how he'll fare in the league.
Ahead of the draft, Kiper compared Sanders to former Miami Dolphins QB Chad Pennington.
"Chad Pennington would probably be my comp for Shedeur," Kiper said on Tuesday, via 'Unsportsmanlike Radio.' I love Chad coming out and him in the top five on the big board. He ends up going 18. That was the year the Jets had four first-round draft choices. He went 18 to the Jets. Ended up playing in Miami.
"Was he a Hall of Famer? No. But could you get to a Super Bowl with Chad Pennington? Yeah. You could have if you had a supporting cast around them. That's why Brady was a late sixth-round pick because he didn't have great talent."
Some may think that if Sanders had the same career as Pennington, it would be a failure. However, Pennington was a solid NFL QB and Kiper believes he was good enough to lead the right cast to a Super Bowl.
Pennington started 81 games in his career, going 44-37 while throwing 17,823 yards, 102 touchdowns and 64 interceptions.
Shedeur Sanders believes he will turn an NFL team around
Shedeur Sanders is one of the more polarizing figures heading into the 2025 NFL draft. He is oozing with confidence and said that he will turn an NFL franchise around.
"We went from Jackson State to Colorado and changed two programs back to back, so you don't think I can come to an NFL franchise and change a program again?" Sanders said on Feb. 28, via NFL.com. "It's history. We done it again. It's always going to repeat itself."
Sanders added that if a team doesn't want to turn things around or have a culture change, it shouldn't select him. The QB is confident he can be a Day 1 starter in the NFL and make an immediate impact.
Sanders went 353-for-477 for 4,134 yards, 37 TDs and 10 interceptions while leading the Colorado Buffaloes to a bowl game last season.