Sole proprietor of the draft spotlight, Colorado superstar Shedeur Sanders once again rose to the headlines, making a questionable decision on his NFL future. There has been a lot of back and forth regarding the elder Sanders’ NFL growth. Coach Prime lately caught fire for constantly trying to influence Shedeur’s NFL decision with a series of do’s and don’ts. However, nothing can change the fact that he is emerging as the widely projected No. 1 pick of the Draft with a massive number under his belt.
But the decision to hold off throwing during this week’s NFL Scouting Combine strikes differently. Is it going to be a massive deciding factor in his draft future? Rich Eisen had a concerning take.
Rich Eisen exposed the reality of Shedeur Sanders’ controversial NFL decision
Sanders, as per the NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, has informed teams that he won’t perform on the field until he’s with his Colorado teammates at their pro day in Boulder. The exact date of that pro, however, is still up in the air. Rapoport did post on X that Sanders “plans to focus on his interviews with teams at the NFL Scouting Combine, helping them continue to learn him as a person. He’ll allow his four years of film to speak loudly, then throw at his Pro Day with four draftable CU (wide receivers).“
While the decision is not anything foreign to CFB history, heavyweights like Andrew Luck, Joe Burrow, Matthew Stafford, and Bryce Young also showcased their skills during pro days instead of the NFL Combine, Shedeur walking on the same path comes off a pure disappointment to some and a thrill to others. Analyst Rich Eisen comes under the first group. “The bottom line is it’s a bummer for the television network for us at NFL Network, and it’s a bummer for the actual broadcast, it would be great to see these guys throw. It’ll be great to see Cam Ward, he could just show up and throw it out of the building, and the same thing, you know, with Shedeur” the NFL Network host noted.
Source: Imago
However, saving it from the pro day might be smart, as Shedeur was inspired by his NFL Hall of Famer father, who knows the game like a gemologist knows the value of a diamond. But it sparked some unwanted criticism that suggested Shedeur actually feared being exposed under the unfamiliar receivers or he might get choked up in the 40-yard dash time. So, it’s nothing but a pure lack of confidence to show it off in front of a host of scouts live on the combine day. Although these narratives are highly speculative, history vouched for the not-so-serious impact of the situation.
Shedeur isn’t the only one to skip throwing this year. While we don’t know about Cam Ward yet, Ashton Jeanty also pulled back from participating in the on-field throws during the combine, limiting his activity to only medical evaluations and team interviews.
Boise State RB Ashton Jeanty has elected to participate only in medical
evaluations and team interviews at the 2025 NFL Scouting Combine, per his agent @henryorgann. He will take part in on-field drills during Boise
State’s Pro Day. pic.twitter.com/iDBdAJ8Fkb
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) February 24, 2025
Rich Eisen didn’t directly comment on the ultimate consequences of the situation. All he did was keep two case studies parallel to each other to make us understand the trend.
What does history say about the ‘skipping throw in the NFL combine’ trend’s impact?
Chicago Bears QB Caleb Williams, formerly in USC, explained that he only came to Indianapolis and the Combine for the team interview. He is well aware that not all 32 teams are ready to draft him, so he won’t waste his energy. He’ll only throw for the teams that want to meet with him personally. But Caleb did an amazing damage control, closely escaping a harsh consequence. “Caleb Williams didn’t throw last year right, but he was out there and we were talking about him because he was basically shaking hands with every single person behind the scenes and he still was drafted first overall, he didn’t throw,” Eisen noted.
The opposite happened with Washington Commanders‘ QB Jayden Daniels, who also skipped the throwing at the Combine last year after playing his senior years in LSU. “He didn’t throw and boy did that affect him. So I understand only you know what I mean so he was drafted where everybody expected him to be drafted and everything turned out to be fine for him so I understand why these guys don’t want to throw,” the veteran analyst observed.
It’s not that they are afraid of getting injured or they are uncomfortable, just that they want to keep teams on their toes, restricting their availabilities to a certain extent. ”I get all that then it also sets things up for mystery and for their pro day,” Eisen said. While it’s not proven whether or not this strategic trick helps them in the long run, it doesn’t hurt that much at least. Still, at the end of the day, Eisen said not participating in the NFL Combine is ”just a bummer.”
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