Shedeur Sanders college rumor would be shocking outcome to NFL Draft slide

Billy Heyen

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Shedeur Sanders college rumor would be shocking outcome to NFL Draft slide image

Shedeur Sanders still isn't officially an NFL quarterback.

And one NFL writer thinks Sanders should go back to college.

It'd be entirely unprecedented. Sanders has entered the draft and accepted benefits thanks to the NFL's invitation to the NFL Combine. For the entire history of the NCAA, that wouldn't maintain his eligibility.

Pro Football Talk's Mike Florio wants Sanders to try and go back to school anyway.

"We’ve learned one very important thing about college football in recent years," Florio writes. "Most, if not all, NCAA rules violate federal antitrust laws. And with players now making millions in NIL money, why shouldn’t a player with remaining eligibility be allowed to return?

"No one has tested it. Shedeur could. If it fails, he could then sign a rookie deal and join whichever team eventually drafts him."

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It's kind of a fair point from Florio. If a player is never drafted and hasn't signed a pro contract why can't they go back to college?

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Florio points out that Sanders would make much more in NIL money than he would in the NFL as a rookie-scale first-year home.

There's another aspect Florio wants, suggests: He wants Shedeur to go somewhere new in college rather than return to Colorado.

"Here’s another twist that he should consider," writes Florio. "Don’t go back to Colorado. His 2026 draft stock could be enhanced by finding a new team, and by proving that he can play at a high level away from his father/coach, Deion." 

If Sanders were to go back to college, earn eligibility and enter the transfer portal to find a new home, it'd be a shock.

Sanders will wake up Saturday morning just like us, undrafted. And he'll just be hoping for a chance to prove somebody wrong.

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Billy Heyen

Billy Heyen is a freelance writer with The Sporting News. He is a 2019 graduate of Syracuse University who has written about many sports and fantasy sports for The Sporting News. Sports reporting work has also appeared in a number of newspapers, including the Sandusky Register and Rochester Democrat & Chronicle