Former New York Jets scout Daniel Kelly has raised questions about former Colorado Buffaloes quarterback Shedeur Sanders’ medical risk ahead of the 2025 NFL Draft.
Shadeur Sanders’ Medical History Could See Him Drop Out of Top 10 in NFL Draft
Sanders is expected to be an early first-round pick, but SI Colorado Buffaloes said “he was complaining about numbness in his extremities” back in 2023 following a fractured back. That resulted in him being pulled mid-game and is something that could make or break a team’s decision to select him.
Shedeur Sanders is a medical risk in the 2025 NFL Draft. He had a fractured back at the end of the 2023 season.
“He was complaining of numbness in his extremities.” (SI Colorado Buffaloes).
— FIRST ROUND MOCK (@firstroundmock) February 27, 2025
The quarterback has also stated that he won’t be throwing at the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis but will be there to conduct interviews with potential teams. He has also announced that he won’t be in Green Bay for the draft and will be spending the day in Colorado.
#Colorado QB and potential top pick Shedeur Sanders plans to focus on his interviews with teams at the NFL Scouting Combine, helping them continue to learn him as a person.
He’ll allow his four years of film to speak loudly, then throw at his Pro Day with four draftable CU WRs. pic.twitter.com/Ai1Ul6I4lV
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) February 23, 2025
Sanders’ 2024 season was spectacular, throwing for 4134 yards, 37 touchdowns, and just 10 interceptions as he led the FBS across multiple categories. That saw Sanders claim the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award, become a finalist for the Davey O’Brien Award, and a semifinalist for the Manning Award.
Early draft noise had the QB going in the top five picks alongside his teammate Travis Hunter and fellow signal-caller Cam Ward. As the draft edges closer, we have seen some mocks having Sanders drop out of the top 10 and into the middle or deep first-round.
The Buffaloes QB, for the last two seasons, has more than enough film of his talent for him not to throw at the combine, but he will be throwing at his Pro Day with the four draftable Colorado wide receivers.
It was pretty clear that Sanders and Ward are the top two QBs of this draft class, with Ward taking the consensus top spot. With quite a big gap until the likes of Dillon Gabriel, Jalen Milroe and Will Howard, teams are excited about the prospect of Sanders and what he can bring to their franchise.
However, teams are clearly more than aware of the medical risk and that a fractured back can lead to further issues later on. Front offices will want to be absolutely certain he is their long-term QB with what is expected to be a strong 2026 draft class for those behind center.
The positive is that since that injury, Sanders has shown a real ability to still stand in the pocket, be fine taking hits, and still perform at a high level. Throwing on the run is not a massive strength of his, but following in his father’s footsteps, he really does show toughness and poise.
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A fractured back is something that teams will be more than aware of, but it didn’t cause him too many issues in 2024 and some franchises are desperate for their cornerstone QB to build success around. Sanders has grown up in a successful household and has shown his ability at leading Colorado to a successful season.
With the lack of QBs in this class, it would be a surprise if he falls out of the top 10, and that might mean he falls into someone’s lap that is in a better position as an organization to compete sooner. Sanders brings with him pressure and noise, but he has always shown his ability to fight through it and prove how good he is.
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