The Las Vegas Raiders could be undergoing a bit of a transition period with Tom Brady taking on an ownership role. While it remains to be seen if he’ll be more active or passive as an owner, it seems like a certainty that he’ll at least help the team evaluate the quarterback position.
The Raiders have fallen far down the draft board after back-to-back wins but they could still of their eyes set on Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders. According to Yahoo Sports’ Charles Robinson, Brady is a fan of the young quarterback.
“From what I’ve been told about Brady’s opinion of Sanders — which he has shared with a handful of NFL coaches and executives over the past 18 months — there is a great amount of respect for Sanders’ focus on preparation, his ability to learn and adapt, his accuracy and determination in the pocket, and his toughness to take hits and still be resilient,” Robinson wrote in a Jan. 2 column.
“I’ve been told that Brady has also been impressed that Sanders has avoided the pitfalls of being thrust onto the center stage of college football’s limelight after transferring to Colorado to play for his father, Deion. For the most part, Shedeur has never become a distraction, developed selfish tendencies or created issues with his public profile or fame that overshadowed his team or his game. He also stayed in school for four years and developed, which is something Brady has repeatedly and publicly said he values in a young quarterback.”
Shedeur Sanders Could Slip in Draft
For a moment, it appeared that Sanders would be the No. 1 pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. However, more scouts and evaluators are starting to question this idea.
According to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero, some people in the NFL don’t even think he’s worth a first-round pick.
“Shedeur Sanders, for a variety of reasons, is going to be a fascinating overall evaluation,” Pelissero said on the Jan. 3 episode of “The Rich Eisen Show.”
“I’ve already talked to people within the league who don’t have anything close to a first-round grade on the guy.”
It’s easy to see a prospect get hyped during the college football season but this is the time of year when scouts really start nitpicking prospects.
Would Raiders Still Draft Sanders if He Fell?
It’s difficult to know how the Raiders’ scouting department feels about Sanders. This is why Brady is such a wild card. General manager Tom Telesco and his team might come out of the evaluation process with a second-round grade or lower on Sanders.
However, Brady has Mark Davis’ ear so he could be the one to call the shots on this. Regardless, the Raiders do desperately need a plan at quarterback. Aidan O’Connell is a good player but likely not a franchise quarterback.
Sanders has limited physical gifts but he’s consistently played at a high level at every stop. Brady was never the most physically gifted quarterback so he could be higher on him than Telesco is. It’s also still more likely than not that he gets drafted in the top five but this will be an important pre-draft process for Sanders.
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Tom Brady’s True Feelings on Colorado QB Shedeur Sanders Revealed: Report