ESPN NFL Draft analyst Mel Kiper has made his feelings on Shedeur Sanders known following the quarterback’s first two appearances for the Colorado Buffaloes.
Shedeur has fired the Buffs to two wins, passing for 510 yards in their opener against TCU and another 393 yards against Nebraska this past Saturday. The performances have put him in the conversation for the Heisman Trophy, and there’s no doubt that it’s well deserved, but he’s also made a big leap elsewhere.
Kiper has offered his opinion on Shedeur, whom he reckons is a legitimate first-round prospect given what he’s shown so far.
“It was a wait-and-see, coming from Jackson State to Colorado, how would Shedeur Sanders, how would his team adapt, how would they perform? They’ve been unbelievable,” Kiper said during an appearance on ‘Monday Blitz’ this week (H/T On3).
“Shedeur Sanders, to me right now, is a guaranteed high first-round pick. I think when you look at the way he’s played at Colorado, in this Sean Lewis offense, the accuracy has been unbelievable. He was at 68 percent at Jackson State those two years. He’s at 77.5. Hasn’t thrown an interception. He had nine rushing touchdowns in two years at Jackson State.
“He can roll right or left. He can make accurate throws. He throws a great ball. He’s unflappable. He looks like he’s in control at all times. You don’t know if they’re up or down, how they’re performing. It doesn’t matter.”
Kiper has Sanders as his No. 3 quarterback right now, behind Caleb Williams and Drake Maye, but he warns that the player has a decision to make as he could be the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 draft if he waits it out and plays his senior season in Colorado.
“If he stays at Colorado, we’ll be talking about him next summer like we’re talking about Caleb Williams right now – No. 1 pick guaranteed,” Kiper added. “So he’s got a decision to make. We’ve gotta be excited with everything we’ve seen right now, with not only this football team, but particularly Shedeur Sanders. What a quarterback he is.”
The Buffaloes will face Colorado State in their next game and are now heavily tipped to win after proving the doubters wrong to go 2-0.
Another top performance from Sanders would likely put him over the 1,000-yard mark in three games.