Colorado’s first game of Year 2 in the Deion Sanders era Thursday night was closer than many of us — including Vegas — thought. Yet Shedeur Sanders put on a magnificent show all evening in the 31-26 victory, a performance not simply just enough for the Buffaloes to narrowly avoid defeat but one littered with NFL-caliber throws.
There were so many, that his effortless 445-yard outing is worthy of an immediate evaluation.
Let’s start with the post throw under pressure in the first half. Now, the North Dakota State coach mentioned later, during a between-quarters interview, it was a blown coverage. And it probably was.
But for Sanders to start this drop back by looking left, checking an intermediate route, then uncorking the long ball over the top while his pocket caved in front of him was spectacular and a keen demonstration of the speed at which he calmly processes and his experience as a passer.
Quite impressive, in the first half of the opening game of the season from Sanders. That very much looked like a play bound to end in a sack or an awkwardly released football that fell incomplete or was intercepted. It ultimately was none of those things.
Then there was a perfectly “feathered” over route to one of his speedy receivers that required ideal timing, accuracy, trajectory, and velocity, to have enough height to clear the sinking, underneath linebacker but arrive to its destination before the deep safety could deliver a well-timed huge hit to jar the ball loose.
Sure, Sanders stayed locked into his first read on that throw, but not every high-level play from inside the pocket a quarterback makes has to come after he’s drifted through his entire list of progressions.
I love here, how, instead of rushing this longer sideline throw and attempting to throw a strike with bad footwork, Sanders stepped up and to his left before releasing the football with plenty of velocity. This was subtle but very much by-the-book.
To prove the first wow throw of the evening wasn’t a fluke, in the second half, Sanders uncorked another incredibly bold deep shot with a defender bearing down on him inside the pocket.
He needed to make this throw with anticipation because of the oncoming defender, and threw it near a sinking safety on this vertical concept. NFL-caliber stuff here.
And as we’re all keenly aware — in the NFL today, sometimes you have to flex the arm strength. And Sanders did that there, on this right sideline connection to Travis Hunter that traveled at least 55 yards in the air from close to the far hash.
He was able to torque his lower body to get more power behind the pass. Nonetheless, it was an awesome demonstration of how much arm strength he has, and his willingness to scan the entire field to find a potential target.
Possessing a sixth sense with your receivers is such a luxury at all levels, particularly in the NFL when air-tight coverage is common. All the best quarterback-receiver tandems have this connection.
Watch here, how, on this touchdown to Hunter, Sanders noticed the leverage of the cornerback and (likely) purposely threw a back-shoulder to his star receiver, essentially creating the separation for him to haul in the pass.
The last throw I’ll highlight was just silly. Elite-level courage, placement, coverage reading — this pass had it all, except it fell incomplete thanks to tremendous coverage from the North Dakota State defender.
We do have to remember — Sanders was outrageous in the season-opening win against TCU a season ago then fizzled — although it was more about the team than Sanders’ play himself. And for as much of an FCS powerhouse as North Dakota State is, we have to see Sanders do these things against Power 4 competition in what is a daunting Big 12 schedule this season before genuinely anointing him.
The start to his 2024, though, was supremely good.
This was an update on a 2023 piece I wrote after Sanders’ tremendous outing in his first ever at Colorado, which you can read below.
In watching Colorado-TCU last weekend, you probably thought to yourself “Deion Sanders’ kid can really play.” Shedeur Sanders had a Power 5 debut for the ages, throwing for over 500 yards with four touchdowns and no interceptions in the massive upset win on the road against a team that played for the national title last season.
And today, you might be wondering, how good of an NFL Draft prospect is he? He was at Jackson State for two years then exploded onto the national scene on Saturday.
Of course, Sanders’ draft prospectus wasn’t cemented by one season-opening performance. But I’ll do the best I can to provide some type of answer to the thought everyone is having.
Before flipping on the film, I reached out to an NFL scout to get his thoughts.
“Have to remember. He had offers from some big schools coming out. And against TCU showed what I really like about him. He’s really not looking to run. Wasn’t that guy at Jackson State. Confident passer first. Can’t lock him into Round 1 yet. The traits are there. And the buzz won’t stop.”
While athletic, Sanders emphatically demonstrated he wants to beat the opponent with his brain and arm before anything else. Saturday was not a performance in which a quarterback looked overwhelmed by the speed and complexity of a defense and simply leaned on his legs to move the football. Far from that.
Let’s dive into Sanders’ showing against TCU to demonstrate the elements he showcased that are translatable to the NFL and what have sparked incredibly early first-round buzz.
While not every one of Sanders’ eight attempts 20 or more yards down field were perfect, he did exhibit the ability to throw with proper trajectory and touch on shot plays down the field on a few occasions. This first-half throw to Travis Hunter was a prime example.
Awesome extension from the ultra-flexible Hunter, but he couldn’t secure the catch. From Sanders’ perspective, the ball was placed where only Hunter could make a play on it. That’s all you can ask for from your quarterback in those scenarios. Speaking of that, this next throw on a 3rd-and-6 in the second half didn’t feature a dazzling grab from his receiver, but served as another example of Sanders dropping it in the bucket down the sideline.
Note, too, how he started looking left and seemed perfectly comfortable making that throw from his own end zone. No jitters.
On the following drive came, in my estimation, Sanders’ best throw of the afternoon. Again, he started by keeping the safety in the middle of the field by not staring down his intended target down the right sideline.
Sanders then delivered a gorgeous teardrop in stride over the shoulder of his wideout and ever-so-slightly beyond the outstretched arms of the trailing cornerback, who didn’t have the worst coverage on the play.
It was a textbook toss through a tiny window. Ball placement couldn’t have been better.
As we’ve come to understand in this era of elite, rocket-armed quarterbacks, arm strength isn’t only vital for launching moon balls down the field. More frequently, it’s a necessity on long intermediate throws. Sanders provided a glimpse of the velocity he can create with his release on this first-half throw to an open receiver from the far hash.
Now, that throw did demonstrate that Sanders won’t be confused with Patrick Mahomes, but there’ve been quarterbacks with far less arm strength selected in the first round over the past decade in the NFL. Importantly, Sanders checks the “NFL-caliber arm” box. That will not be a concern even for scouting nitpickers during the pre-draft process.
But landing in Round 1 — and ultimately thriving in the NFL — requires significantly more nuance than deep-ball accuracy and a strong arm. And Sanders demonstrated plenty of nuance against TCU. Let’s run through that nuance now.
How about rapid processing? On the game-winning drive, watch how Sanders checked the classic slant-flat concept before and instead of hitting the swing pass into the flat, which was open but clearly would’ve amounted to a minimal gain. He bought time in the pocket for Hunter to run through the first throwing window and hit him in the second window behind the inside linebacker.
Sanders knew he was welcoming a hit by being patient on that play. But it was worth it. The throw moved the chains. Next-level stuff right there.
How about touch on throws other than those deep downfield? Watch how carefully Sanders located this throw on an intermediate crosser up and over a second-level defender and between two defensive backs. Floated beautifully with just the right amount of zip.
That’s pretty. And Sanders did it while floating himself toward the throw. He didn’t deliver from a perfectly still, solidified base. That capability is needed in today’s NFL and is part of the composition of the term “arm talent.”
Even today, with quarterbacks protected by the rules more than ever — you have to be tough. You’re going to take shots. Was there any demonstration of that against TCU? Yep. Check here, when Sanders waited for an in-breaker to develop with an inside rusher bearing down on him. That defender delivered a shot a split-second after he threw a strike over the middle.
All of this pocket passing is great. It really is. But how about creativity with his legs. Is he mobile? That’s also become a necessity to be a top-tier quarterback today. On Saturday in Fort Worth, Texas, Sanders put that on display too.
On a play in which he was forced from the pocket to his left, Sanders stopped on a dime to avoid a rusher — and to get help from a blocker — before finding an open target over the middle. He did ultimately take a shot after releasing the football. But the successful play was made,
Above all, Sanders played with palpable confidence all game, in a contest on the road, against a ranked opponent, with enormous anticipation for a team without established chemistry that was constructed more uniquely than any in college football history. All of that will go a long way in the growing allure of Sanders as a draft prospect.
Now, it’s as early as it gets for Sanders and Colorado. There’ll be fluctuations. The normal ebb and flow of a season. However, first-round hype has to start somewhere, and with Sanders, it’s not unjustified because of his high-profile lineage. If he continues to play remotely close to how did he against TCU, I genuinely believe there he will be widely regarded as a first-round quarterback.
