Ross Tucker reveals red flag with Shedeur Sanders

Yahoo

01-05-2025

When a quarterback with Shedeur Sanders' talent slips past the first round of the NFL Draft, the football world starts asking questions. And few answered them more candidly than former NFL offensive lineman and current analyst Ross Tucker.
During a recent appearance on The Dan Patrick Show, Tucker peeled back the curtain on why Sanders, the Colorado Buffaloes' high-profile signal-caller and son of Deion 'Coach Prime' Sanders, became one of the most polarizing names in this year's draft cycle.
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Tucker began by sharing a personal experience that stuck with him—and apparently stuck with NFL scouts too. Ahead of calling Colorado's rivalry game against Colorado State for CBS last season, Tucker was scheduled to speak with Sanders during production meetings, a standard expectation for starting quarterbacks.
'I go to the practice. I'm in Boulder… After the practice, I'm told, well, he got banged up against Nebraska. He needs to get treatment… Friday production meeting, we talked to Deion. He was great. The coordinators. No Shedeur.'
Tucker never got a direct answer. But later that day, he saw Sanders casually sitting in the back of a pickup truck outside the hotel.
'People asked me, NFL people asked me after that game, what did you think of Shedeur? And I said, I didn't get to talk to him,' Tucker explained. 'It just made me wonder… how many stories are there like that?'
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For NFL teams, consistency and professionalism in routine matters—like media obligations—aren't optional. Skipping those interactions gave evaluators pause about Sanders' maturity and readiness for the NFL spotlight.
Colorado Buffaloes quarterback Shedeur Sanders (2) before the game against the Oklahoma State Cowboys at Folsom Field.Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images
A Pre-Draft Process Full of Red Flags
Perhaps the most damaging moments came during Sanders' combine and team interviews—where, according to Tucker, his approach was viewed as entitled and dismissive.
'He didn't have someone to prep him properly for those interviews and it cost him dearly,' Tucker said. 'Only one of them acts like his you-know-what doesn't stink… and acts like he can say whatever he wants.'
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Without an agent guiding him through the draft process, Sanders relied heavily on his inner circle—which prominently includes his father. Tucker questioned whether anyone was offering Sanders the kind of constructive criticism necessary to navigate the NFL gauntlet.
'There's nobody really to tell him what reality is, because you're there at Colorado with your dad, you're driving an expensive car, you get to do what you want,' Tucker noted. 'That's not reality.'
This 'sense of entitlement,' as described by scouts, left a sour taste with teams who value humility and leadership at the quarterback position.
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Tucker pointed out that once a few quarterback-needy teams passed on Sanders—like the Giants and Saints—his trajectory shifted from potential starter to likely backup. That, he says, was a dealbreaker.
'Nobody wants the most high-profile player on the team to be the backup quarterback,' he said. 'I gotta tell you, Dan… I'm convinced that Aaron Rodgers told the Steelers, 'Hey, I'll play for you, but don't take the Sanders kid.''
Tucker clarified he had no proof, but strongly believes veteran quarterbacks didn't want the distraction of having Sanders behind them, particularly with his outsized media attention.
In the end, Sanders was drafted in round five by the Cleveland Browns—a stunning result for a quarterback who threw for 4,134 yards, 37 touchdowns in 2024, while leading Colorado to a 9-4 record.
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A Wake-Up Call, or the Start of a Bigger Story?
For Colorado Buffaloes fans, this moment is a reminder of how quickly perception can change a career trajectory—even for a player as talented as Shedeur Sanders. The spotlight may be intense, but NFL teams want more than skill. They want leadership, professionalism, and humility.
Whether this is just the beginning for Sanders or a lesson learned the hard way, Tucker's insight made one thing clear: talent alone isn't enough—especially at quarterback.
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