Cleveland Browns quarterback Shedeur Sanders was widely viewed as one of the top prospects coming out of college this past year, but the Colorado Buffaloes star fell to the fifth round of the NFL Draft, where the Browns traded up to acquire him.
There is no doubt that Sanders has impressive arm talent, but his lack of athleticism has always been viewed as a drawback, as his penchant for holding on to the football too long.
Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com zeroed in on the latter when it comes to Sanders, noting that he must improve in that area to become a reliable quarterback on the professional level.
“The other area Sanders must address is his pocket presence, but he’s made significant strides there too. At Colorado, he was sacked an FBS-high 94 times over the past two seasons, but he’s worked very hard to correct it since he tumbled from the projected first round of the draft to the fifth," Cabot wrote. "His mentor Tom Brady advised him on draft weekend to study, study, study, and Sanders has done just that. If he can reduce some of his drifting backwards and make quicker decisions, he’ll increase his chances."
Sanders threw for 4,134 yards, 37 touchdowns and 10 interceptions while completing 74 percent of his passes last season, the latter of which led the nation.
Sometimes, though, the 23-year-old simply needs to throw the football away rather than taking sacks, which is something he will absolutely learn as he moves along. The fact that he is already displaying improvement is obviously a great sign, but until we actually see Sanders on the field, we won't know for sure how much he has actually progressed.
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