NFC Scout Says Shedeur Sanders Will Face 'Culture Shock' in NFL Locker Rooms

At least one NFL scout believes Shedeur Sanders is in for "culture shock" once he leaves Deion Sanders' Colorado program to join the NFL.

"When you hear all the anecdotal stories about the person, it's not that he's a bad kid. He has been so insulated," an anonymous NFC scouting director told NFL Network's Tom Pelissero. "It's going to be a culture shock when he really learns how a locker room really operates and how it really works inside a building."

The scout went on to say that Sanders' experience with his father as head coach and Pat Shurmur as offensive coordinator won't be reflective of what he can expect in the pros.

"He's had so much input on the offensive game plan and who the coach is, and everything's been catered to him. When you walk in one of these buildings, no one's going to give a s--- about that," the scouting director told Pelissero. "No one cares who your dad is. You're going to have to end up fighting through some adversity. The plays aren't going to be called to exactly what you want to run.

"Even last year with Shurmur, a lot of the mistakes he made was stuff that he just decided to call at the line of scrimmage himself, and there's no recourse of him making those decisions. Whereas, in a real locker room, you make a couple of those decisions, you get your a-- ripped so bad that you never want to do it again."

The comments shared by Pelissero come days after Deion Sanders and the Buffaloes faced controversy for their decision to retire Sanders' No. 2 alongside Travis Hunter's No. 12 during Colorado's spring game last Saturday.

Multiple former Colorado players criticized the program for commemorating Sanders and Hunter before players who led the program to a national championship game in 1990.

When asked about the complaints, Deion Sanders said the criticism was only because of Shedeur's relationship with him.

This isn't the first time NFL personnel have expressed some concern about Shedeur's ability to adjust to playing outside his father's program.

Tennessee Titans head coach Brian Callahan said in late March that he doesn't see it as "a bad thing that his dad has been able to be around," but that adjusting to a professional career without his father will be something Sanders "has to work through," per ESPN's Turron Davenport.

An anonymous AFC general manager meanwhile told Pelissero: "He's all ball. But the program's just different. Do you blame him? It's his dad. It's going to be different than any other circumstances because of his dad and who his dad is. But you'd like to think [things will be different] once he gets outside of that.

"I don't think it'll be a problem. The guy wants to be really good. Sometimes you don't overthink it."

Sanders is ranked as the No. 2 quarterback and No. 23 overall prospect available in the upcoming draft on Bleacher Report's latest 2025 NFL Draft Big Board. The latest B/R mock draft has him hearing his name called at No. 6.