Scouting Shedeur Sanders as a possible fit for the Steelers
The Steelers announced this week they are hosting Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders on a Top-30 prospect visit. Top-30s are not handed out recklessly, so we should take the fact Sanders is visiting as an indication the Steelers are serious about drafting him, should they get that opportunity.
Sanders turns some people off because of his big personality and famous father, but his production in college speaks for itself. After transferring to Colorado from Jackson State, where he went 23-3 as a starter, Sanders played two seasons, completed over 70% of his passes, threw for 7,364 yards, and had 64 touchdown passes against just 13 interceptions. There are questions about how well Sanders’ game will translate to the NFL, and his draft projections are all over the place, ranging from second overall to the Browns down to 26th with the Rams. Should he slide into Pittsburgh’s range at #21, it would be tempting for the quarterback-needy Steelers to grab him.
For this article, I broke down film of the Colorado-Kansas State game from last season. I picked that one because KSU was the highest-ranked team on Colorado’s schedule. Sanders had an excellent game, going 34/40 for 388 yards, with three touchdowns and one interception. KSU won on a late TD, 31-28.
Here’s are the pros and cons I found in Sanders’ performance:
PROS:
– Stands tall in the pocket and processes well.
– Good blitz recognition and poise under pressure. Keeps his eyes down the field, even as the pocket is collapsing (you’ll see this in the first two video clips I’ve posted).
– Good lower body mechanics. Sets his feet well, and uses his legs when he throws. His mechanics help compensate for the fact he does not have an exceptionally strong arm.
– Very accurate. Throws a catchable ball.
– Can extend plays outside the pocket, and throws the ball well on the run (see third video).
– Experience/confidence. It shows on film. He started 48 games in college and threw over 1,800 passes. He is comfortable running the show.
– Consistency and production. Sanders’ completion rate was between 66 and 74% all four years in college, and his QBR between 151 and 168. He is no one-year wonder. He put up great numbers for four straight years.
CONS:
– Holds the ball far too long (see the fourth video). His comfort in the pocket can be a detriment in that sense. It leads to him taking too many sacks. He will need to get rid of the ball much faster in the NFL.
– Arm strength is average. Wasn’t asked to make many tough throws into tight windows vs KSU, so I didn’t get a great feel for his velocity. But it looks just ok. The touch on his deep ball is decent, not elite.
– While Sanders is mobile, he’s not a great runner. He’s not particularly fast and he doesn’t make defenders miss. Running is a last resort if he can’t find anyone open. He’s not a QB you can design runs for, nor is he a read-option QB.
– Colorado offense was about 70% pass the last two seasons. The philosophical shift to a run-heavy scheme in Pittsburgh will be an adjustment.
– Formationally, he did not play in an offense that remotely resembles Pittsburgh’s. Lots of up-tempo spread out of 10 personnel. Some 11 personnel with a detached H-back. No attached TE sets. No 12 personnel. Never took snaps from under center. Would need to make a huge adjustment to play in Arthur Smith’s system.
– The potential side-show. Would bringing in a big personality to pair with guys like DK Metcalf and George Pickens work? If the Steelers are entertaining Aaron Rodgers, they must feel comfortable they could manage Sanders, too. But it’s something they must consider.
OVERALL:
Sanders is a highly skilled player with good leadership ability who would bring an alpha quality to the quarterback position that’s been missing in Pittsburgh since Ben Roethlisberger retired. He is confident (some would say cocky), and he has a presence. He’s also turned two bad college programs into successful ones. He’s a winner, and that’s important.
However, Sanders is far from ideal for the Steelers’ offense. He has zero experience playing in their type of system, and would need time to acclimate. His deep ball, which the Steelers value, is average. He needs to speed up his process from the pocket, too, or he’ll get killed back there.
Sanders could wind up being a solid starter in the NFL. I just wonder whether the fit in Pittsburgh is an issue.
Check out the video in the tweet below for examples of some of the traits I was discussing above:
The Steelers are hosting Shedeur Sanders on a Top-30 prospect visit. Let’s take that as an indication they could be serious about drafting him if they get the opportunity.
I broke down film of the Colorado-Kansas State game from last season. I picked that one because KSU was the… pic.twitter.com/zBpnQ7bHZu
— Kevin Smith (@KTSmithFFSN) April 9, 2025
I have not followed him closely, as I don’t read much about college sports or the weird sports-adjacent/celebrity news stuff like McAfee or TMZ, but from the little I have read or seen, I am somewhat concerned about the personal responsibility stuff. Didn’t he throw his line under the bus after a big interception day? That’s not being an “alpha,” it’s failing to accept responsibility at the position in sports where accepting responsibility is one of the most important traits. AARod also does this, and it’s one of the main reasons I don’t want him either. It’s particularly troubling to see in a young player.
Add that to questions about schematic fits and arm strength, and this looks like a bad idea.
Of course, bad ideas seem to be steelers FO currency right now, so again, it’s on brand.
It would be considerate of Aaron Rodgers to give the Steelers an answer prior to the Draft because his decision could definitely affect their strategy. But if he keeps them in the dark beyond the Draft, that’s probably an indication that he wouldn’t come in with the right attitude regardless.
I’m with you. If I’m the Steelers, the draft is a hard deadline. This is the most important position in sports we’re talking about. Enough with the clown show.
Honestly, I hope the Rodgers situation has ZERO effect on the Steelers draft strategy. Signing him isn’t going to eliminate our need to find a young QB of the future, and not signing him should not lead to a panic decision to over-reach in the draft for a QB. Especially not in a draft that’s widely considered to be weak at the position.
I just don’t think there’s any way AARod will come in with the right attitude, regardless.
Skipping mandatory camp to vaca in Spain? I mean, that’s just the most recent example, but the man’s career is filled with examples that he is all about what he thinks is best for *him,* not the team writing his checks.
The potential sideshow is overblown in my mind. I don’t think it is a real worry. My worry is the holding of the ball. That is a tremendous weakness in the NFL. A lot of the guys that don’t succeed is because they need to see it before they throw it. I would not be in Sanders. I look at Caleb Williams and his 68 sacks last year. The Bears didn’t have a great Oline, but it wasn’t that bad. That would be my worry with Sanders
Agreed. He would need time to sit and learn, and to work on this. And whenever he enters the lineup, the Steelers would need to help him by moving the pocket a lot, like the Texans did with Stroud when he was a rookie.
The “sideshow” stuff is probably derived more from Deion’s past antics more than anything that Shedeur has done and that’s probably not fair.
True, but does anyone really expect Deion to curb his side-show once Shedeur goes to an NFL team? I don’t.
I think Shedeur has the potential to be a good NFL QB, but will he be good enough to make dealing with Dad worth it?
At the NFL level he is a spectator and not HC. its alot easier to ignore.
I’d think Deion would be more disruptive publicly as a spectator than as the kid’s head coach.
Does the latest news about Shedeur telling certain teams he doesn’t want to play for them concern you?
Seems like there’s already a bit of diva coming out.
The author’s evaluation certainly illustrates some causes for concern. That said, isn’t there some contradictions in Sanders’ game as they pertain to the Steelers’ offense? As pointed out, Sanders has always played in passing offenses and that doesn’t match at all what the Steelers want to do. That said, Sanders is more of a pocket passer than he is a runner so that does kind of fit the Steelers’ scheme, no? There weren’t many RPOs in the Steelers’ game plan last year.
It would take some adjustment on his part, for sure. The fit is not ideal, but there are reasons why you can see PIT could be interested.
If he fell in the draft and the Steelers took him, it would probably be because they do like him as a pocket passer. And, if they were smart, they’d tailor more of the offense to his strengths rather than making him adapt fully to Arthur Smith’s system — unlike they did with Justin Fields.
In fairness, retooling the offense to maximize Fields’ strength wasn’t going to happen in one off-season. I think we’d have seen more of that if we’d managed to extend him.
a true Pittsburgh Steelers fan, since the 70’s Shedeur Sanders isn’t that good of a quarterback because Shedeur Sanders throw 90% of his passes to his brother Travis Hunter
Wow. Just wow.