Shedeur Sanders made his case to be one of the first quarterbacks selected in the 2025 NFL draft Friday at Colorado’s pro day. The son of a Hall of Famer Deion Sanders threw for the first time since the end of the season in front of dozens of NFL scouts and front office members.
Miami’s Cam Ward is the favorite to go No. 1 overall in the draft to the Tennessee Titans but Sanders is a likely first-round pick. Where he will go is unclear three weeks out from the draft but he offers a skillset to be a starter as a rookie.
Sanders led college football with a 74% completion percentage in 2024. His profile, production and experience make him the most pro-ready passer in the class. His best qualities are his accuracy and timing and those were on full display Friday in Boulder.
Sanders threw to teammates Travis Hunter, Jimmy Horn Jr., Will Sheppard and LaJohntay Wester over an hour Friday afternoon.
Here’s what to know about Sanders’ workout:
Shedeur Sanders pro day recap
He started with short drops and quick throws in the short areas of the field before transitioning to five-step drops and throwing intermediate routes.
His passes were slightly wobbly to start out before he settled in to a rhythm with intermediate passes. Sanders is at his best when hitting timing-based routes accurately and this part of the workout played to his strength. Multiple play-action passes allowed him to show off as well.
He opened up with more deep shots to showcase his arm strength. Those were some of his best throws on the day, including a deep shot to Horn Jr., with a ball that traveled more than 40 yards in the air.
He followed that up with a mix of passes and hit multiple in-breaking and out-breaking routes, notably a perfectly placed ball to Sheppard on a out route.
Sanders and the Colorado receivers wrapped up the day with an attempted two-minute drill. They weren’t able to get the length of the field but Sanders still hit multiple key passes to move the ball down the field.
Shedeur Sanders pro day grade
Grade: B+
Sanders’ early wounded ducks gave way to on-target throws with play-action passes and throws on the move. He hit multiple deep shots accurately down the field to show off his arm talent.
Sanders himself looked bulked up from the end of the college football season and was able to generate a little more power on his throws. He still needs to improve using his lower body in throws but this looked like a step in the right direction.
He’s the most pro-ready passer in the draft and today’s workout confirmed his strengths. It didn’t ease much of the concern over his weaknesses (taking on pressure, relying too much on his average mobility) so there’s a cap on how well he could’ve done to change his pre-draft perception.