Much has been dissected about Shedeur Sanders’ skillset and persona ahead of the 2025 NFL Draft.
But as one NFL executive recently relayed to ESPN, the inquisitive nature of the Colorado quarterback can be misinterpreted as “a little combative.”
“The reason why people give him so much grief, it’s just, when you talk to him, he’s just different,” said the unnamed exec who has met with Sanders, 23, according to the report.
“He’s very much a thoughtful person. Sometimes that comes off a little bit combative because he’s going to ask questions, and he really wants to think through what you’re saying. He’s not really a yes-man person. He’s going to really have his own thoughts.”
Sanders, the son of NFL Hall of Famer Deion Sanders, stirred buzz out of the NFL Scouting Combine earlier this year following a report from NBC Sports’ Matthew Berry that stated, “I spoke with two people on two different teams that met with Sanders. And completely independently of each other, they had the exact same things to say. They both said it was a bad meeting and that he came off as unprofessional and disinterested. Both also said that after the meeting they had a lesser opinion of him than prior.”
Berry then expanded, “These were just two people. Maybe other people in the meeting had a different read. And maybe these were teams that Sanders doesn’t want to go to, so maybe he purposely tanked the meeting. Maybe he just had a bad day.”
Regarded as the most polarizing prospects of this year’s class, Sanders’ draft stock has been all over the place as the first round approaches, with analysts and experts experiencing difficulty projecting where the 6-foot-1 prospect could potentially land.
Eric Galko, the director of the East-West Shrine Bowl who knows Sanders, echoed a similar sentiment of the NFL exec.
“Ninety-five percent of quarterbacks come into the NFL, and they are just, I’ll do whatever it takes to win a Super Bowl. Whatever you say coach, I’m in. But because Deion is good friends with people like Roger Goodell and Michael Irvin, and Shedeur has worked out with Tom Brady, his whole life he’s been around these great people. So I think he is a little bit disillusioned of the NFL,” Galko said.
“The I’ll-do-whatever-it-takes attitude, teams know how to evaluate that character and ask the questions to get the answers they need. And I think some have found some challenges with Shedeur. The feedback I’ve gotten is, ‘We can’t use our usual formula as easily to evaluate Shedeur as a person.’”
Although Miami quarterback Cam Ward is widely expected to land with the Titans at No. 1 overall — something the 22-year-old even alluded to in a Fortnite stream earlier this week — Sanders has been linked to other QB-needy clubs, with the Giants hosting a private workout Thursday.
The Giants pick third in the draft, one slot after the Browns, who are also in need of their quarterback of the future.
Giants general manager Joe Schoen stated Wednesday in a media session that the team won’t “force” a pick at the position.
“If the value matches up with what we have on a player, there’s an opportunity to take any position,” he said.
The Giants added to their quarterback room this offseason by signing veterans Russell Wilson and Jameis Winston to join Tommy DeVito.
The 2025 NFL Draft begins in Green Bay next Thursday.
