Shedeur Sanders Compared to Detroit Lions QB Jared Goff

Sanders' play-style evokes visions of Lions' star signal-caller.

Colorado Buffaloes quarterback Shedeur Sanders (2). | Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

Detroit Lions quarterback Jared Goff was compared to one of the most intringuing passers in the 2025 draft class.

Shedeur Sanders, son of Hall of Famer Deion Sanders and quarterback at Colorado, was projected to be a first-round pick by many analysts but wound up sliding into the fifth-round. During draft coverage, Sanders' listed pro comparison from draft analyst Matt Miller was Goff, who has been a vital part of the Lions' renaissance.

Sanders' play-style evokes visions of the Lions' star signal-caller. Among the similarities between the two passers are their ability to pick apart defenses in the short and intermediate passing game. Both players are accurate and can be efficient in this area offensively.

The Colorado product has more mobility at his disposal than Goff, but also took too many sacks during his time in college as a result of holding onto the ball too long.

According to draft analyst Steve Muench, "The Browns already took Oregon's Dillon Gabriel in Round 3, and now they get Sanders here. Cleveland coach Kevin Stefanski has had success coaching accurate quarterbacks such as Case Keenum and Kirk Cousins in the past. Gabriel and Sanders both fit the mold and can compete. Taking two quarterbacks with Joe Flacco, Kenny Pickett and an injured Deshaun Watson on the roster might feel like overkill, but Sanders is too good of a value to not take a chance on here. Plus, taking two QBs improves the Browns' chances of finding a backup or possibly a starter."

Lions general manager Brad Holmes was asked following conclusion of NFL Draft if the Lions talked about the draft slide of the former Colorado signal-caller.

"I just think everybody has their evaluations and I do think that – a little bit about what I was telling you here is there’s just a lot of information that may not be available, or even the work. So, if you only hear or see that a player’s supposed to be this, that’s all you hear," said Holmes. "And if you don’t take the time out to get more of the information or watch all the film, watch all the film from the past two years, not just him but for any prospects, it’s just, it’s hard.

"And again, that information’s not available," Holmes commented further. "So look, I never want to see someone be in a tough situation where -- but I’ve seen it happen before. I’m not going to say that I’m blaming one person or the other, but sometimes people, they have a, let’s call it -- not the player, but the media can put a spin on something that might not be the whole story.”