Bruce Feldman explains why Shedeur Sanders might have a first-round draft pick grade

Colorado QB Shedeur Sanders has put his name right at the top as one of the biggest in college football. His future as a pro, though, could be just as bright and might be coming sooner than some may think.

Bruce Feldman of The Athletic and FOX said as much in an appearance on ‘The Rich Eisen Show’ this week. While some think Sanders could capitalize off another year in college before coming out in the next draft, he believes he could be a first-round pick in the 2024 NFL Draft based on what he has put on display in Boulder already this fall.

“A first-round grade might be there right now,” Feldman said.

“I think everything you look at with him? There aren’t many guys who have a Josh Allen, Patrick Mahomes arm anyway,” explained Feldman. “It’s like, ‘Oh, well, how well does he see it? How accurate is he? Does he have presence? Is he tough?’. All those things? He has.”

No one has been shy about Sanders’ chances of making it to the NFL as a high selection as of late. The level of buzz around the topic has exploded after he came to the Pac-12 from Jackson State and has put up nearly 1,800 passing yards and 15 touchdowns in his first five games. He has done it efficiently as well with a completion rate of 74.8% while also only throwing two picks.

This upcoming draft class is going to have several quarterbacks at the top of the conversation. It’s incredibly hard to break your name into a space with prospects like Caleb William and Drake Maye among others.

Still, Sanders has managed to do exactly that and might not be too far off from following his father’s footsteps to the next level.

NFL Draft experts ‘blown away’ by Sanders’ skillset

Nearing the halfway point of the 2023 season, Colorado QB Shedeur Sanders has made a big name for himself. Sanders has even made himself one of the most interesting quarterback prospects for the NFL Draft.

On the ‘First Draft’ podcast, Field Yates was joined by Matt Miller and Jordan Reid to discuss quarterbacks, including Sanders.

*Follow all Colorado Buffaloes news on Facebook here*

“I’ve been blown away by Shedeur Sanders,” Reid said. “I’ve really enjoyed diving into his film. As a former quarterback, I love seeing guys who are super accurate and I think he has the best accuracy of any quarterback in this class. He has a plan all the time, he understands how to attack coverage, but the thing that I like the most about Shedeur is he embraces the spotlight.”

“A lot of times, being Deion Sanders‘ kid, being in the spotlight? All eyes are on you. The whole nation watches you, and he loves it. He thrives off of that.”

Reid clearly loves his play and Matt Miller agrees that he’s excellent. Miller even compared him to Tua Tagovailoa.

“He’s so surgical and accurate and the touch passes are there and he’s poised, like Tua, he’s not exceptionally mobile but he’s gonna give you something. I think Shedeur’s probably a better runner just because he doesn’t have the injury history of a Tua right now. But I can’t think of a player I’ve been more impressed by this season. I love watching Shedeur Sanders play,” Miller said.

“Week 1, I was the biggest skeptic of how’s this gonna work? He met his offensive linemen two weeks ago, how’s this gonna work? How’s this gonna come together with 80 new players? And even this past weekend without his two best receivers arguably, to be able to lead that comeback against USC just showed his field vision as good as his accuracy. I’m with you guys, the most accurate quarterback I’ve seen this year. His field vision, and he doesn’t have seven seconds to throw like Caleb Williams, his field vision has been phenomenal.”