The NFL Draft is behind us, rookie drafts are taking place, and as dynasty managers, we are looking ahead to the upcoming season. In our Dynasty Rookie Post-Draft Update series, we break down all the incoming fantasy-relevant rookies, looking at their profiles and where they fit. The basis of the rookie profile involves the usage of STORM analysis, focusing on five key components: Situation, Talent, Opportunity, Risk, and Market.
Situation
Name: Shedeur Sanders
Position: Quarterback
Pro Team: Cleveland Browns
College Team: Jackson State – Colorado
Draft Status: Round Five, Pick Six (144 overall)
There might not be a more polarizing player than Shedeur Sanders coming out of the 2025 draft. I don’t think he is a QB worthy of having his number retired so soon after his collegiate career, but I also don’t think he is the type of talent who should fall so far in the draft. Sanders won the Johnny Unitas Award as the top quarterback in college football, was named a second-team All-American by the Associated Press, and was a finalist for the Davey O’Brien Award as well as the Manning Award, awards given to the best collegiate QB. While many thought he would go in the first round, his draft-day fall is one of the more legendary slides in recent history, from a first-round projection to a fifth-round pick. This fall in Cleveland will be one of the first times Sanders will not be coached by his father NFL Legend Deion Sanders.
Sanders was a three-star prospect in the 2021 recruiting class. He received offers from Alabama, Florida, Georgia, LSU, and Oregon among other schools. Originally committed to Florida Atlantic, he flipped to Jackson State after his father was named as the team’s head coach. As a high school senior he passed for 3,702 yards and tossed 43 touchdowns.
Sanders started as a freshman for the Jackson State Tigers and passed for 3,231 yards with 30 touchdowns against eight interceptions. He won the Jerry Rice Award, given to the most outstanding freshman in Division I FCS. To start his sophomore season, Sanders led Jackson State over Florida A&M, where he passed for five touchdowns and 323 passing yards. As a sophomore, he threw for 3,732 passing yards with 40 touchdowns vs six interceptions. He was awarded the Deacon Jones Trophy as the nation’s best HBCU player and named the SWAC Offensive Player of the Year. After his father was named the head coach of the Colorado Buffaloes, Sanders transferred there with eventual Heisman winner Travis Hunter.
In his first game at Colorado as a junior, he threw for a Buffaloes school record 510 passing yards and four touchdowns as the team defeated 17th-ranked TCU. Sanders managed 3,230 passing yards as a junior and 27 passing touchdowns, while only throwing three interceptions. The team went 4-8 in his junior season in 2023 but Sanders was named the Pac-12 Newcomer of the Year by the Associated Press. His passing yardage was ranked second all-time for a season for Colorado.
As a senior, he led the Buffaloes to a 9-4 record and an appearance in the Alamo Bowl against BYU. Sanders finished his college career by setting the Colorado Buffaloes' season passing record with 4,134 passing yards and throwing for 37 touchdowns. With four rushing touchdowns, he became the first Colorado player to reach 40 total TDs in a season. He earned Big-12 Offensive Player of the Year honors and finished eighth in Heisman voting.
Sanders skipped the NFL combine events and instead focused on his Pro Day. He might not have his dad’s legendary speed, but some estimate he would have been in the 4.7 to 4.8 range had he run the 40-yard dash. He has worked extensively with Darrell Colbert Jr, a private QB trainer from the Houston area, who also trained Cam Ward. Many believed Sanders was in contention to be one of the first players selected in the 2025 NFL draft, and it was a shock to witness him slide from day one and two till his name was called in the fifth round. That slide might have been the best thing for Sanders and the Cleveland Browns.
Talent
