The NFL Scouting Combine is one of the first major events of the offseason, and it can help make or break the draft stock of prospects.
Lately, though, some of the top prospects, especially at quarterback, have become very selective about when they go through their pre-draft workouts and what they will actually do at the combine.
That includes Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders at this year’s combine.
According to a report from NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport on Sunday afternoon, it seems as if Sanders has decided not to throw for scouts at the combine and will instead do so at his pro-day later in the offseason.
Setting aside the wording of that post which makes it sound like it came directly from Sanders’ agent or PR team, his decision to not throw is not something that is going to hurt him in the pre-draft process.
There might have been a time in NFL history where scouts, head coaches or general managers might have looked at that as a potential red flag, but the league has evolved enough to not put much of a priority on every little detail.
It is the same way players sitting out bowl games used to be looked at as an issue, but now is just an accepted part of the football season.
The biggest advantage the combine has for the top-tier players is the opportunity to sit down with coaches, scouts and front office personnel for interviews. It was everybody gets a chance to know each other and get a feel for whether or not they will be a good fit for their organization.
Sanders does, in fact, have an extensive college career worth of film that is impressive. He is also going to still have an opportunity to throw for NFL scouts at his pro day where he will have more control over what it looks like and who he is throwing to.
None of the top quarterbacks in the 2024 class (Caleb Williams, Jayden Daniels and Drake Maye) threw at the combine, and it obviously had no impact on their draft status as they were the top three picks in the draft. Joe Burrow and Matthew Stafford were other prominent quarterbacks that did not throw in their combine year.
Sanders is projected to be one of the first quarterbacks taken in the 2025 class and one of the first players off the board. He could very likely go somewhere in the top three, with the Tennessee Titans (No. 1), Cleveland Browns (No. 2) and New York Giants (No. 3) all being potential spots.
Miami quarterback Cam Ward is the other quarterback projected to go at the top of the class.
