Updated: Mar 22
In recent days, draft prospect quarterback Shedeur Sanders has decided not to workout at the NFL combine, following in the footsteps of a number of qb’s across the years, but could be for a completely different reason.
Sanders of Colorado is expected to be either the first or the second quarterback off the board in this year's draft, but his decision to not workout at the combine may have an impact on his draft position as a whole. Sanders decided to focus more on the interviews with teams over the physical workouts in the combine, and believes everything he needs to show his ability is within his film and highlights. Sanders will workout at his pro day in Colorado alongside teammates, but ultimately believes he already has enough to show what kind of player he is.
But how exactly could his decision to skip the workouts affect his draft position?
Much differently to previous quarterbacks such as Caleb Williams, Jayden Daniels, and Drake Maye who all took a similar path, Sanders has raised some concerns over the course of the 2024/25 season about his arm strength, and ability to throw deep passes. Some NFL scouts believe Sanders’ decision to skip combine workouts could be down to his lack of confidence in deep ball situations, and a bad day at the office come combine day could jeopardise his chances at being the top quarterback off the board. Some scouts also believe his choice to workout at his college pro day with his teammates may have been a tactical decision due to being more comfortable around familiar faces.
It's no secret that the 2025 NFL draft class is weaker than previous years, especially in the quarterback department, but Sanders may have shot himself in the foot with this recent decision. Some believe his decision has shown signs of arrogance in his personality, and not participating could be more of a risk than participating. Had Sanders workout and prove to NFL scouts he has no arm strength issues and has no problem in deep ball situations, Sanders would definitely solidify his spot at the top of the draft class, but his choice to sit out and leave the scouts with nothing but his film will definitely put some doubt into a number of general managers heads.
Sanders’ chances of being drafted in the top 5 are probably about 50/50 at the moment. With fellow QB Cam Ward also not working out at the combine, the two will battle to see who goes off the board first, but doubts about Sanders’ NFL ability and potential may mean he drops out of the top 5, and see Cam Ward go before him. Regardless of whether Sanders' drops out of the top 5, any team would have a low risk high reward situation by taking him off the board, but his recent decisions and interviews may have given NFL scouts and front offices an unwanted perspective on his personality as a whole.
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