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Former Pittsburgh Steelers running back Merril Hoge was ahead of most pundits with his criticism of Shedeur Sanders and his prediction for the former Colorado quarterback’s NFL future.
Sanders was projected to be selected as high as No. 2 overall in the NFL Draft, but his epic fall to the fifth round became the talk of the event. The Cleveland Browns eventually made the decision to draft him even after picking quarterback Dillon Gabriel earlier.
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Colorado Buffaloes quarterback Shedeur Sanders, #2, prepares to pass the ball in the second half against the North Dakota State Bison at Folsom Field in Boulder, Colorado, on Aug. 29, 2024. (Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports)
Hoge shared his opinion of Sanders days before the draft began in an interview with WDVE in Pittsburgh.
“I think the best way to sum him up is, he’s a really good college quarterback,” Hoge explained. “His accuracy is good, his processing is good. And when I say good, I use a scale from 1 to 10, so good is around a five. So if you’re a five in college, OK? Those (accuracy and process) are the two most important aspects of transitioning to the National Football League, and then you build from there. Anticipation, pocket awareness, and then we start building, but those two things, if you’re a five, you’re not a first-rounder. You’re not a franchise guy.”
Furthermore, Hoge took issue with Sanders’ allegedly inflated numbers. The Buffaloes star has the FBS all-time record for completion percentage at 71.8%, but Hoge dismissed that as Sanders threw a lot of bubble screens.
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Colorado Buffaloes quarterback Shedeur Sanders, #2, celebrates after defeating the Arizona State Sun Devils at Mountain America Stadium, home of the ASU Sun Devils. (Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports)
He did not believe using those types of plays were going to translate in the NFL. He said teams will be looking for the skill sets that guys like Joe Burrow, C.J. Stroud and Jayden Daniels have.
“He ain’t even close, he ain’t even in the ballpark. … There’s some toughness to him I like, but how he moves, he ain’t going to put fear in anybody,” Hoge said, adding that teams should be wary about Sanders being able to handle the expectations that come along with being a first-round draft pick.
“He can’t handle the expectations that are coming his way,” he added. “He’s going to be an epic failure, and he’s going set your organization back another two or three years.”
Those expectations subsided a little bit once he fell to the fifth round. However, Sanders is in a position to win the starting job in camp as it is not set in stone that Kenny Pickett or Joe Flacco will be QB1 once the season begins.
Gabriel is the all-time leader in touchdown passes at the FBS level, but even he was picked late in the draft.
Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders speaks during a press conference at the NFL football scouting combine on Friday, Feb. 28, 2025 in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)
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The spotlight is going to shine bright on the Browns’ quarterbacks throughout voluntary workouts and training camp.
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