Shedeur Sanders attracted a few raised eyebrows when he visited with the Pittsburgh Steelers this week.
Of course, attention is nothing new to the Colorado product and top prospect in the 2025 NFL Draft. He's not interested in the cameras; He wants to know how he might fit into each of the prospective clubs eyeing him as a possible face of their future under center.
"When I talk to any team, I understand the work it's gonna take and I see the dynamic of everybody that's around, so I know how I approach different situations and what I'm gonna have to do to be successful in different franchises," the quarterback, speaking from a Pittsburgh airport, told Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero on Thursday's The Insiders. "So, I'm just sitting back observing, watching everything and all of what's gonna take to change the franchise for the better."
Sanders has spoken confidently -- if not bombastically -- of his plans to transform the franchise that chooses him later this month. He's maintained a candid approach, which could be interpreted as abrasive by some personnel executives and/or coaches. It won't influence Sanders to change, though.
"When I go visit these coaches and when I go to all these different franchises, I ask them truly what I think and how I feel," Sanders said. "Some get offended, some like it, some don't. Make some people uncomfortable, some people invite that. They know what type of person and what type of player they're gonna get out of me, so I just have to make sure, you know, what type of culture or what type of dynamic I'm going to have with them also."
Since the 2025 NFL Scouting Combine, Sanders has seen many analysts and prognosticators create a gap between him and the leading quarterback candidate, Miami's Cam Ward. The reasoning has spanned most of the spectrum of possibilities, but as Sanders said when it came to interacting with potential employers, he isn't losing sleep over criticism.
Wherever he lands, he'll speak with his performance.
"It's extremely fun. It's just funny to see what they come up with next," Sanders said. "At first it was that his arm wasn't strong -- I had a lot of touchdowns in my college career. Then it was I pat the ball -- that wasn't a thing before pro day. So, I don't get in trouble off the field, so it's kind of hard for them to create storylines for the media. Keep that [energy] going, though. It's just gonna be fun with the next story."
