Shedeur Sanders NFL Draft timeline continues to gesture toward perfect QB replacement

While Shedeur Sanders could potentially enter the 2024 NFL Draft after this season, expect for him to play one more season for his father Deion Sanders at Colorado before ultimately turning pro.

Sanders played sensationally in his first three Power Five games at CU. The Buffs went a perfect 3-0 in conference play before getting utterly shellacked by Oregon in Eugene on Saturday afternoon. While Sanders did not play horribly, it was a complete mismatch for the Buffaloes defensively, as Bo Nix firmly asserted himself into the Heisman Trophy race with one of his very best games to date.

Heading into the Oregon game, Coach Prime expounded on what his son could do after this season to Taylor Rooks of Bleacher Report. Let's just say that the Sanders men have discussed all scenarios.

In short, Shedeur Sanders is not going to turn pro prematurely unless he is a sure-fire, top-tier pick. With Caleb Williams and Drake Maye both projected to go in the top five, look for Sanders to return in 2024. That could set up a perfect line of succession under center in Boulder, as the Buffs' top quarterback target in Bryce Underwood could be ready to roll in 2025. It is all going according to plan.

Deion Sanders reveals Shedeur Sanders' potential NFL Draft plans

What Sanders is building at Colorado has the potential to be something special. No, they are not going to go 11-1 (8-1) this year, but the Buffaloes have certainly made their presence felt right away in the first month of the 2023 college football season. With the program being built around family and putting in the work, why would their star quarterback and the son of their head coach cut corners?

Frankly, Sanders is going to need another season going up against Power Five competition for NFL scouts to really have an honest assessment of his game at the next level. Sure, he could be a blue-chip prospect like his father was coming out of Florida State in the late 1980s, but let's just start with being a first-round pick in 2024 first. He could be that, but right now, that feels a tad too premature.

Keep in mind that Sanders does not come from humble beginnings like his hall-of-fame father. Everything the family has done up to this point has been well-calculated. So for that reason, they are not going to be foolish about this. Sanders is the father of one of the best quarterback talents in the country, so he is not going to feed his kid to the wolves out of hubris. That is why he will be back in 2024.

Just because Sanders used the transfer portal so much at Colorado does not mean he should microwave this. His son has plenty of time to work on his craft and leadership skills before going pro.