CFB Coach Calls Shedeur Sanders 'Almost Too Cocky' amid 2025 NFL Draft Rumors

Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders may overestimate his own abilities when he first arrives in the NFL, in the eyes of a Big 12 defensive coordinator.

The assistant coach called Sanders "almost too cocky" when it comes to his playing style in the pocket.

"I think he has good arm talent and really good poise," they said to The Athletic's Bruce Feldman. "I think he's almost too cocky, at least at the college level, where he would take some really bad sacks. Decision-making-wise, I think he thinks he's better than everybody else, and that does help him elevate his game, but it also gets him into some bad situations. And if he doesn't shake that, he's gonna take way too many sacks in the NFL."

A different former NFL coach made a similar critique.

"Yeah, he's smooth, and he operates well, but if he operates so well, why does he take so many sacks?" the coach said to Feldman. "I know his O-line is awful, and I get that to an extent, but I'm watching him, and like 40 percent of the sacks are on him. Dude, just throw the ball!"

Sanders averaged 306.8 yards per game in his two years at Colorado and his 71.8 percent completion rate is the highest in FBS history. But the Buffs star also tied for the most sacks in 2023 (52) and was the standalone leader in 2024 (42).

It's not like the Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year can expect to have more time in the pocket in the NFL.

In his scouting report on Sanders, Bleacher Report NFL scout Dame Parson wrote the signal-caller "takes too many hits because he tries to make a play and holds onto the ball." Beyond the loss of yardage those sacks create, Sanders is putting himself at an added risk of injury in Parson's view.

A level of self-confidence is necessary to succeed in the NFL, and Sanders will be far from the first quarterback who underestimated the difficulty in going from college to the pros, if that's what it looks like is happening.

How quickly Sanders adjusts his game is what will help determine the broad arc of his career.