NFL insider: Teams looking for 'superpower trait' in Shedeur Sanders amid falling draft stock

After running it back for one final season at Colorado, Shedeur Sanders helped lead the Buffaloes’ turnaround. He also become one of the most interesting prospects in the 2025 NFL Draft – but his stock appears to be falling a bit ahead of this week’s Scouting Combine.

Sanders dropped to the No. 7 overall selection in ESPN analyst Mel Kiper Jr.’s updated mock draft released earlier this week. There’s also been chatter about former Ole Miss quarterback Jaxson Dart slotting into the QB2 slot with a strong performance at the Combine.

According to Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer, teams are looking for a “superpower trait” from Sanders through the pre-draft process. He was the most accurate quarterback in college football in 2024, but franchises – particularly those in the AFC – are looking for something that separates him from the rest of the class.

"Where’s the superpower that will have you take Shedeur Top 5? Is he able to chase a Mahomes, Josh Allen or Lamar?"@AlbertBreer addresses the reason Shedeur Sanders's draft stock is dropping: pic.twitter.com/Hn1ZMD9bUB

— Herd w/Colin Cowherd (@TheHerd) February 26, 2025

“I think the issue with Shedeur – and this is going to be a difficult thing for him to address over the next six or seven weeks – is, are you special in any one area? Do you have a superpower trait?” Breer said on The Herd. “Or, are you an average athlete with an average arm, in an NFL context? And I think that that’s the way a lot of teams look at him. He’s not a great athlete. He doesn’t have a big arm. So where is the superpower that’s going to make you want to take him in the Top 5? I think you attach that, then, to what the teams in the AFC are looking up at, and that’s sort of this Mount Olympus of quarterbacks.

“So if you’re Tennessee picking first or Cleveland picking second, I’ll borrow a term that Daniel Jeremiah used with me a few days ago: It’s almost like you have to chase ceiling. It’s not, ‘Can this guy be a good player?’ It’s, ‘Can this guy be good enough to compete with Josh Allen, Patrick Mahomes, Lamar Jackson and Joe Burrow in the AFC?’ And oh, by the way, when you get by those guys, you’ve still got more guys with a lot of upside in C.J. Stroud and Trevor Lawrence and Bo Nix and Drake Maye. It’s a gauntlet. If you draft Shedeur Sanders in the Top 5 or Top 10 picks, could he get up and running pretty fast? I think he probably could. Five years from now, are you going to be comfortable giving him $55, $60, $65 million a year? I think that’s the question.”

Shedeur Sanders showed ability to go through progressions

As a senior at Colorado this past season, Shedeur Sanders led the nation with a 74% completion percentage. He also totaled 4,134 yards and 37 touchdowns, along with just 10 interceptions on 477 pass attempts.

What stands out about Sanders’ numbers, though, is the fact his top two receivers – Travis Hunter and LaJohntay Wester – had 96 receptions and 74 receptions, respectively. Those numbers both ranked in the Top 35 receptions in college football. Sanders can work through his progressions if his first option isn’t there, and Albert Breer acknowledged that skill as he heads to the next level.

“First of all, I would agree with you on that,” Breer said when Colin Cowherd noted Sanders’ ability to go to his other options. “I think if you’re at Ohio State or Alabama, how often are you going out of your first progression? How often are you going to No. 2, how often are you going to No. 3? How often do you have to move in the pocket to make things work, to cover up an issue your offensive line might have?

“I think all of that stuff is 100% valid. And we’ve seen that with some of the quarterbacks who have come out of the powerhouse schools where they’ve struggled because they haven’t had to find those answers that deep into an individual play or they haven’t had to be as creative in making things happen.”