Sanders was sacked 52 times in his final season with the Colorado Buffaloes. That number was one of the highest in the entire country.
With his offensive line letting up so many sacks in 2024, is it reasonable that he’d be less sacked at the NFL level? Colin Cowherd and Joel Klatt seem to believe so.
Joel Klatt Says Shedeur Sanders Is the Real Deal
All offseason, analysts and scouts have discussed Sanders’ draft stock. While the Colorado prospect is coming off an incredible season, many analysts (including me) have questioned his ability to jump from the college level to the NFL.
Despite this noise, college football analyst Joel Klatt thinks Sanders is worthy of a top-five pick, saying this on Colin Cowherd’s podcast “The Herd.”
“When you watch Shedeur, this guy is an excellent man. He’s got surgical capability, he’s on time, he’s accurate, he’s smart, and he led a program from one win to nine.”
I agree with a lot of what Klatt said in this podcast, including a remark about people making takes just to be controversial, but I still do not think Sanders is a top-end prospect.
During this podcast, Klatt blamed Sanders’ protection heavily, saying things like, “He was playing behind a really bad offensive line.” While yes, Sanders’ offensive line wasn’t great last year, out of all the quarterback prospects in this class, no one held on to the ball longer than him.
Sanders often tried to make the big play rather than hitting the quick throw to keep the offense on time, which led to throwaways and sacks. I also think it’s incredibly fair to question whether Sanders has top-end arm strength, with him struggling to drive the ball into tight windows downfield.
KEEP READING: Joel Klatt Exposes Media Trend Victimizing Shedeur Sanders, Questions Doubters’ Credibility
I don’t think Sanders will end up being a horrible pro, but I think the critiques about him are fair, and Klatt is overselling how good he is or will be. The NFL is a different game, and time and time again, we’ve seen quarterbacks, especially rookies who hold on to the ball too long, get sacked a lot in the league.
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