NFL Insider: Scouts 'Love' Shedeur Sanders' Toughness, Confidence, Calmness in Clutch

NFL talent evaluators are reportedly impressed with many of the intangibles quarterback Shedeur Sanders brings to the table in high-pressure moments.

According to Ted Nguyen of The Athletic, NFL scouts love Sanders' "toughness, confidence and calmness in clutch situations."

Sanders, who is the son of Pro Football Hall of Fame cornerback and University of Colorado head football coach Deion Sanders, is widely considered one of the top quarterbacks in the 2025 NFL draft.

Coming out of the 2024 season, it was expected that Sanders and Miami's Cam Ward would vie to be the first quarterback off the board, although the gap between Ward and Sanders may be widening.

On Saturday, NFL Network's Ian Rapoport said most of the NFL talent evaluators he has spoken to believe Ward will be the first quarterback taken:

Nguyen does not have a first-round grade on Sanders, noting his belief that the game tape does not warrant one.

That echoed the sentiments expressed by some other reporters recently, as The Athletic's Dane Brugler reported that "a lot of NFL teams" don't view Sanders as a first-round pick.

NFL insider Josina Anderson, NFL draft insider Todd McShay and Tony Pauline of Sportskeeda offered similar reports regarding teams "cooling" on Sanders for various reasons, including the belief that he didn't take a "professional approach" to his interviews. A quarterbacks coach of a team picking in the top seven of the draft added that Sanders came across as "brash" and "arrogant" in his interview.

Despite Nguyen's assessment that "the traits just don’t match the hype," it doesn't mean a team won't take a chance on Sanders in the first round.

Of the teams with the top seven picks in the draft, the Tennessee Titans (No. 1), Cleveland Browns (No. 2), New York Giants (No. 3), Las Vegas Raiders (No. 6) and New York Jets (No. 7) all have a fairly obvious need at quarterback.

Even so Nguyen suggested that if the Raiders pass on Sanders at No. 6 overall, he could "take a big fall relative to early expectations."

After starting his college career at Jackson State, Sanders transferred to Colorado when his father was named head coach of the Buffaloes.

Although Colorado only won four games in his first season, Sanders put up impressive numbers, completing 69.3 percent of his passes for 3,230 yards, 27 touchdowns and three interceptions.

Sanders and the Buffs took a big step forward last season, as he completed 74.0 percent of his passing attempts for 4,134 yards, 37 touchdowns and 10 picks, and Colorado went 9-4, which was the program's best mark since 2016.

In recognition of his great season, Sanders finished eighth in the Heisman Trophy voting and was named the Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year.

There are seemingly some concerns about how well Sanders will transition to the NFL, but he has the pedigree and history of success teams often look for in a quarterback, and his cool demeanor in the clutch is something that could serve him very well at the next level.