Is the college version of Geno Smith… Shedeur Sanders?!

The 2025 NFL Draft is considered weak for quarterbacks compared to this year, when six were taken in the top-12. Among the top names projected to be an early-round pick next year is Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders, son of coach and NFL legend Deion Sanders.

Having achieved great success at Jackson State before transferring to Colorado, Shedeur became a surprise Heisman Trophy candidate after his outstanding performances against TCU, Nebraska, and Colorado State. The Buffaloes were 3-0 and Sanders was a major reason why… and then reality set in, and Colorado finished 4-8. In a pass-heavy scheme with a sub-standard offensive line, Sanders absorbed heavy punishment and, suffice to say, that Heisman chatter died down.

Longtime draft analyst and former scout Daniel Jeremiah made an interesting pro comparison to Sanders. Is Shedeur the college version of current Seattle Seahawks starter Geno Smith? Here’s what Jeremiah wrote in his NFL.com column:

Height, weight: 6-foot-1 1/4, 198 pounds

2023 statistics (11 games): 298-of-430 (69.3%) for 3,230 yards (7.5 per attempt), 27 TDs and 3 INTs; 111 carries for -77 yards (-0.7 average), 4 TDs.

Game tape watched: vs. Nebraska (Sept. 9, 2023), at Oregon (Sept. 23, 2023), at UCLA (Oct. 28, 2023).

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He reminds me of: Geno Smith coming out of West Virginia. Like Smith during his time with the Mountaineers, Sanders plays in a wide-open college offense that showcases his polish as a passer. Both Smith and Sanders have beautiful throwing motions and deliver a firm/catchable ball. While each is capable of taking the free yards presented in the run game, neither is dynamic as a ball-carrier.

Following a long, rocky start to this NFL career, Smith blossomed into a Pro Bowl quarterback. I see similar upside in Sanders. As my Move The Sticks Podcast partner Bucky Brooks would say, both of these signal-callers are more shooters than scorers. They are point guards who play really well within the confines of the play call; they aren’t unscripted, creative playmaker types. It’ll be important for Sanders’ NFL team to realize how to best utilize his skill set.

Geno was a second-round pick back in 2013, and the only way Sanders justifies a first-round selection via a Geno Smith comparison is if he’s the 2022-2023 version of Smith. You may still scoff at the idea of Sanders being a first-round pick with upside comparable to Smith, but that’s not really the point. Quarterback is a constant need in the NFL and unless it’s an all-time stinker like the 2022 class, anyone with reasonably high upside is likely to be taken in Round 1.

I’m not sure I agree with the comparison and I’m not particularly high on Sanders’ NFL upside (which, if you’re reading this Coach Prime, I’m sure will get Field Gulls on your bad side), but it’s just something interesting to pass along. For better or worse, Colorado will be one of the marquee teams to watch this college season, and Sanders will be one of the quarterbacks spotlighted as he enters his senior year.