The Indianapolis Colts may not be in the market for a quarterback in the upcoming NFL Draft, but team general manager Chris Ballard is stumping for Colorado football star Shedeur Sanders nonetheless.
Sanders, the son of NFL great and current Buffaloes head coach Deion Sanders, is projected to be one of the first quarterbacks taken off of the board during the 2025 draft. However, much like during his college career, Shedeur Sanders has been the subject of criticism recently.
Ballard, whose team has Anthony Richardson and Daniel Jones competing for the starting spot, is pushing back against what he feels is unfair criticism of the Colorado standout.
“Here is what I’m going to say, especially about Shedeur: look, he was raised in a family that understands what it takes to play and the scrutiny that comes along with it,” Ballard told Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio. “We’re beating a guy up that went to Jackson State and won. We’re beating a guy up that went to Colorado and won and elevated a program. Agendas and opinions — I’m fine with opinions — just put your name on the opinion. I’m OK with it if you put your name on it. But the silence and the anonymous sources are what I struggle with, which is kind of the world we live in today. But put your name on it.”
As the third son of Deion Sanders, Shedeur has been criticized quite a bit throughout his high school and college career. Coached by his father at each step of the way, Shedeur began his college career at Jackson State, where he excelled immediately. As a freshman, he threw for more than 3,200 yards and 30 touchdowns while leading the Tigers to an 11-2 record, one of the program’s best single-season marks in decades.
The following season, Shedeur completed over 70% of his passes for 3,732 yards and 46 total touchdowns. The Tigers went 12-1, losing only the Celebration Bowl at the end of the year to North Carolina Central. After the 2022 season, the Sanders family and Travis Hunter migrated from Jackson, Mississippi, to Boulder, Colorado, where Shedeur was immediately pummeled behind an inexperienced and outmatched offensive line.
Fortunately, the Buffaloes orchestrated an impressive turnaround after a 4-8 season in 2023; the following year, Shedeur and Heisman Trophy winner Hunter led Colorado to a 9-4 record and on the cusp of a Big 12 Championship Game berth. During the 2024 season, Shedeur completed 74 % of his passes and threw for more than 4,000 yards.
In the draft, Shedeur is expected to be the second quarterback selected. Miami’s Cam Ward is believed to be the Tennessee Titans’ top target for the No. 1 overall pick, and Sanders will almost certainly be taken sometime in the first round. Former New York Jets executive and current ESPN analyst Mike Tannenbaum predicted the Pittsburgh Steelers will trade up to No. 10 to take Sanders, who Mel Kiper Jr. has pegged as the fifth-best player in the draft, one spot ahead of Ward.
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