Shedeur Sanders on 2024 NFL Draft: 'I don't see a quarterback that's better than me'

Although he’s eligible for the 2024 NFL Draft, Shedeur Sanders is running it back for another season at Colorado. His first year with the Buffaloes didn’t necessarily go as planned en route to a 4-8 record, but he’s looking to turn things around this coming season.

If Sanders declared for the draft this year, though, he thinks he’d have a strong chance of going toward the top of the board. In fact, he thinks he’d be the best quarterback available.

“I’m biased, but I don’t see a quarterback that’s better than me,” Sanders told Sports Illustrated’s Brice Butler. “I don’t see a quarterback that went through as much adversity as me, that had four different OCs in four years. Coming from an HBCU, coming to a Power Five [program], having real pressure on me. A lot of people don’t understand, that’s a lot more adversity than you think, just even being the son of Deion Sanders. You put any of those guys in [my] situation, they’re not doing that.

“But I respect their game. I respect what they’re doing because to be able to be a first-round draft pick, to be able to have success on the field, it takes a lot of hard work and determination and everything. And they’ve got different challenges they go through. But the most pressure and the safest bet is me.”

Sanders got off to a red-hot start to the 2023 season, but his numbers dropped as Colorado struggled down the stretch. On the whole, he completed 69.3% of his passes for 3,230 yards and 27 touchdowns while throwing just three interceptions. He also had to deal with some offensive line issues as the Buffaloes allowed 56 sacks – second most in the country only to Old Dominion’s 62 sacks allowed.

During the season, though, Sanders generated some draft hype. In December, ESPN analyst Mel Kiper Jr. ranked him as the No. 6 overall prospect on his Big Board after conference championship weekend. Ultimately, though, he chose to return to Colorado for another season under his dad.

Next year, though, Deion Sanders thinks Shedeur might not be the only Colorado player to go toward the top of the board. As he closed out his appearance on First Take this week, he said he thinks Travis Hunter could also be one of the top two players selected.

“Did I say that we may have the first and second pick of next year’s draft?” Sanders said. “Did I say that? That plays for Colorado? Did I mention that? OK, I just wanted to mention that.”