Colorado Buffaloes quarterback Shedeur Sanders put the finishing touches on a decorated college football career in December. Now, he eyes the 2025 NFL Draft. Arguably the greatest quarterback of all time reportedly praised his game, and it may affect where he’s drafted come April.
NFL-Bound QB Shedeur Sanders Reportedly Praised by 7-Time Super Bowl Winning QB Tom Brady
Sanders has compiled an excellent college football career with the Jackson State Tigers and Colorado. After a senior season in which he threw for 4,134 yards and 37 touchdowns, the Buffaloes quarterback has entrenched himself in the conversation for the number one overall selection in the 2025 NFL Draft.
Along the way, he’s drawn praise from opposing coaches, players, and NFL Draft evaluators for not only his talent but his character off the field. But none may match up to receiving a compliment and nod of approval from the GOAT.
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According to Yahoo! Sports senior writer Charles Robinson, seven-time Super Bowl winner quarterback Tom Brady reportedly lauded Sanders for his play on the field.
Brady has “a great amount of respect for Sanders’ focus on preparation, his ability to learn and adapt, his accuracy and determination in the pocket, and his toughness to take hits and still be resilient.”
Sanders has been coached his whole college career by his father, former NFL All-Pro Deion Sanders. Coach Prime does not shy away from publicity — and because of that, in the 2023 and 2024 seasons, Colorado football has been one of the trendiest and most talked about topics in sports.
The Buffaloes’ quarterback has seemingly kept a level head through it all, which is another aspect that impressed Brady.
Robinson continued, writing, “He also stayed in school for four years and developed, which is something Brady has repeatedly and publicly said he values in a young quarterback.”
Now, everything aside, the GOAT is communicating all those positive things about you—pretty cool stuff for a guy who has yet to take a snap in the league.
But that’s also where an intriguing aspect of the situation comes into consideration.
While Brady serves as a public figure for the league as maybe the most recognizable player of all time, and for his work this season as a Fox NFL color analyst, he also became a minority owner of the Las Vegas Raiders in October 2024.
Multiple news outlets have reported that Las Vegas majority owner Mark Davis is expected to listen to Brady’s opinion on the future of the Raiders’ quarterback position.
Currently, former Purdue Boilermaker Aidan O’Connell is the starting quarterback for the Raiders. O’Connell was drafted in the fourth round in 2023, but they’re still expected to be aggressive in targeting a talented passer in the 2025 NFL Draft or through free agency.
The Raiders were unable to select a first-round quarterback in the 2024 NFL Draft, as they watched six quarterbacks be selected before they were on the clock at pick number 13.
As a consolation prize, they nabbed former Georgia Bulldogs tight end Brock Bowers, who’s blossomed into one of the best tight ends in the league, breaking numerous rookie receiving records.
However, it gets murky when looking at the draft order. The Raiders, after winning back-to-back games in Weeks 16 and 17, are projected to hold the eighth selection in the upcoming draft. One week still remains, but at four wins, the Raiders will likely remain too low to select Sanders with their own pick.
If the Raiders want Sanders, trading up in the draft would be necessary, and if Brady—who’s impressed with several of the Colorado standout’s skills on the field and preparation off of it—has a say in it, they might just do it.
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