Quarterback guru Pat Shurmur orchestrated the offense that Shedeur Sanders masterly thrived in all seasons as a senior, leading the Colorado Buffaloes to a 9-3 record, following a 4-7 season.
There are plenty of mock drafts that have Shedeur possibly falling out of the first round as the Giants reportedly try to trade up to the No. 1 overall spot to grab Cam Ward, who has emerged as the “better QB prospect” according to narratives used by scouts, media and coaches behind the scenes.
NFL and College QB Guru Pat Shurmur Says Deion Sanders Is NFL Ready
Shurmur, the offensive coordinator for Colorado, is a 32-year coaching veteran with 21 years of NFL experience as a head coach and offensive coordinator working with some of the best signal callers to ever do it. He thinks passing on Shedeur would be a huge mistake.
“I’ve talked to all 32 teams and some of them multiple times. Some of the teams ought to get an Airbnb out here. They’ve been out here a bunch of times doing the research on Shedeur for the right reasons. And I’ve told them all this and I really believe it having worked with him at this level and knowing how he’s going to project at the next level. If you need a quarterback, draft Shedeur.”
The last two seasons of Sanders’ college career is where he asserted himself as a worthy top pick, completing 71.8 percent of his passes, averaging 306.8 yards passing per game and throwing 64 touchdowns to just 13 picks.
ESPN’s Ryan Clark agrees, but he doesn’t think the possibility of Shedeur dropping is simply an X’s and O’s problem. Clark noticed some racial red flags when it surfaced that some organizations revealed that they would pass on Shedeur because he is “arrogant.”
Shedeur Sanders Is His Daddy’s Son: He Won’t Bend The Knee
“They plant these certain reports, and you do hear these certain things, and you hear the word ‘arrogant.’ Why is he arrogant? Because he won’t walk into the meeting and bend the knee, or he won’t sit in the meeting and question himself or his abilities or his knowledge and experience in the game. I don’t believe that’s arrogance – I want a quarterback that’s self-assured. I want a quarterback that can cut the film on, and when you ask him a certain question about ‘why did you make this mistake’ or ‘why did you make this throw’ or ‘why was this the right read,’ I want him to be able to regurgitate that to me like he’s in the play at the moment the same way a coach or offensive coordinator would, because that’s what he’s gonna have he to do. I’ve had conversations with Shedeur Sanders, and he can do that,” Clark said on Wednesday’s edition of “First Take.”
Of course, being the son of Deion Sanders, who has had a frosty relationship with the media since entering the college football coaching ranks and shaking up the status quo, might present certain challenges.
Ryan Clark Says Shedeur Sanders’ Arrogance Is A Problem Because He’s Black
But Clark added that Shedeur’s skin color may also be a concern to NFL teams.
“It’s not just about him being Deion Sanders’ son. It’s about the bravado he carries. It’s about the fact that he looks a certain way. It is about the fact that the color of his skin sometimes at the position can be questioned. And I believe Shedeur Sanders is going to have to deal with that until he gets on the field,” Clark said.
Sanders rightfully expressed great confidence in his abilities at the NFL Scouting Combine last month, saying that history would “repeat itself” with him.
“We went from Jackson State to Colorado and changed two programs back-to-back. You don’t think I could come to an NFL franchise and change a program again? It’s history, it’s always going to repeat itself,” Sanders said.
“If you ain’t trying to change the franchise or the culture, don’t get me. So, you should know history repeats itself over and over and over, and I’ve done it over and over, so there should be no question why NFL franchises should pick me.”
Who the heck wouldn’t want a quarterback who believes in himself so deeply? There’s probably some cat and mouse games being played here by a team that has Shedeur No.1 on its board. Don’t expect him to make it past the first 15 picks.
