Shedeur Sanders draws an 'unwanted' comparison to Aaron Rodgers amid Combine controversy

Entering the 2005 NFL Draft, a California Golden Bears quarterback named Aaron Rodgers was expecting to hear his name called at the top of the first round. But after the San Francisco 49ers opted to draft Alex Smith, Rodgers had to wait...and wait...and wait, until the Green Bay Packers took a gamble on him with the 24th overall selection. The rest, as they say, is history; despite some personal and professional controversies in recent years, Rodgers is among the greatest quarterbacks in NFL history, and a sure-fire Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee.

Twenty years later, a similar scenario could play out at the top of the 2025 NFL Draft, concerning Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders. In a draft considered light on game-changing prospects under center, Sanders has been regarded as one of the two best young quarterbacks available, but the 22-year-old is being ripped to shreds over his decision not to work out for teams at the Scouting Combine, which begins this week in Indianapolis.

Sanders, likened to Toney, could slide like Rodgers

Sanders' unwillingness to work out for interested teams has spooked executives around the NFL. Sportskeeda's Tony Pauline has reported that teams are concerned over a perceived "lack of progress" for Shedeur between 2023 and 2024 -- even though he broke school ing records at Colorado and led the Buffaloes to a 9-4 season in 2024.

"Teams I've spoken with are concerned Sanders showed no real progress in his game last season, unlike Cam Ward, and that he will need a lot of coaching to get rid of some of the poor throwing fundamentals he displayed this past season," Pauline said.

Former New York Jets scout Daniel Kelly has been highly critical of Sanders. Kelly believes Alabama's Jalen Milroe is a better prospect than a player touted to go in the top three of this draft, and he thinks that Sanders is emulating former Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Kadarius Toney with his lack of discipline and polish in spite of his obvious skill. In short, Kelly thinks Sanders -- like Toney -- could be a high-profile draft flop.

However, a team like the New York Giants might have seen enough over the past two seasons to have no qualms with Sanders refusing to take part in Combine drills. New York is quarterback-hungry, and it is the largest media market in the United States -- which would appeal to Shedeur's father Deion Sanders as well as Shedeur himself. As the Giants hold the third overall pick in April's draft, those comparisons between Rodgers and Sanders could be short-lived after all.