Shedeur Sanders Compared to Caleb Williams for 'Hero Ball' Style by Todd McShay

As Shedeur Sanders prepares for the 2025 NFL draft, his style of play was compared to Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams by The Ringer's Todd McShay.

"Caleb Williams is the one that scares people," McShay said on Wednesday's The McShay Show (1:09:50 mark). "Because as a rookie, all the stuff that we were worried about and the people who were coming out and saying 'I'm not sold on Caleb,' it's the hero ball, it's the holding onto the ball too long, drifting, not taking the easy money, going for broke. And I see a lot of that in Shedeur's tape. Now is it because of the protection? Or is it because that's how he plays ball?"

Sanders was tasked with a particularly large role in Colorado's offense throughout the 2024 season, as he led the Big 12 with 477 pass attempts. He completed 74 percent of his throws for 4,134 yards and 37 touchdowns to go along with 10 interceptions.

Williams operated in a similar role during his college days at USC, which carried over to the NFL. He owned the ninth-highest average time to throw among all quarterbacks in 2024, via Next Gen Stats.

Williams was also sacked a league-leading 68 times as a rookie.

Despite Sanders' polarizing style of play, he was ranked as the No. 2 quarterback and No. 18 overall player in the 2025 draft class on the latest big board from Bleacher Report's NFL Scouting Departement.

B/R NFL Scout Dame Parson echoed McShay's concerns regarding Sanders, though.

"However, Sanders takes too many hits because he tries to make a play and holds onto the ball," Parson wrote in his scouting report. "Those hits add up in the NFL and can create injuries for the most important person on the roster."

The 23-year-old should hear his name called early when the first round of the 2025 draft begins, but there's belief that his extra time spent in the pocket could impact his rookie season in the NFL.