You know it’s about to get weird when Pat McAfee starts sounding like he’s narrating a WWE promo on a Tuesday morning. The man’s energy is always dialed to eleven, as this act by Pat explains all his full-on roids like expressions. McAfee, a walking adrenaline spike, turned his attention to one of the most polarizing quarterback prospects in the 2025 NFL Draft—Shedeur Sanders. Where Pat operates like a lightning bolt in cowboy boots. Sanders is more like a slow-burning cigar in a designer hoodie—cool, calculated, and always camera-ready. That contrast is exactly what sparked the fire on a recent ESPN segment, where McAfee set off alarms about whether Shedeur’s calm, self-assured persona is hiding something deeper beneath the surface. The former surely is.

The question of Sanders’ temperament has followed him like a shadow this draft cycle, especially after his showing at the NFL Combine. Unlike many of his peers, Shedeur Sanders didn’t participate in all drills, which led to speculation. But it was his demeanor that drew the most scrutiny. In a telling anecdote, NFL insider Ian Rapoport recalled a moment on The Pat McAfee Show that said a lot about Shedeur’s poise: He said he wanted to reach out to Coach Prime to ask about Shedeur, and to his surprise, after a small wait, he got on FaceTime with him. On asking about Shedeur’s plans, Coach Prime handed the boy the call. And he explained his roadmap to Ian. “I was like, this is not normal… this is someone who really is trained to handle all of it” – Rapoport came away impressed, describing Sanders as sounding like “a 30-year-old.” That maturity has been a part of his brand from Day 1, but for some NFL types, it’s still hard to figure out if it’s genuine leadership—or calculated PR polish.

And then Pat came. Not just vocally animated but visually… suspicious. He launched into his critique of Shedeur Sanders’ game and personality. Viewers, however, couldn’t help but notice what looked like a lit joint in McAfee’s hand. That irony wasn’t lost on anyone: a man possibly smoking weed on live television questioning the temperament of a kid who always looks like he just smoked—but hasn’t. McAfee’s point, though, wasn’t about cannabis. It was about personality. “There’s a lot of people bringing up, you know, well how many wins did they have in Colorado and yada yada yada,” Pat said, rolling his eyes at the broader narrative. “They literally rebuilt a program over there… now granted, did they have a reality TV show happening at the same time via social media? Yes. Did they have a documentary happening at the same time? Yes. Coach Prime—is he one of one? Yes.”

Pat’s energy hit another gear as he tried to wrap his head around the NFL’s discomfort with Shedeur’s self-belief. “It just comes down to a couple people enjoying his personality, is that kind of what it is now?” he asked, almost incredulously. It wasn’t a takedown as much as a challenge—are we really still judging quarterbacks based on how much they smile or how calm they look in front of cameras? But Pat wasn’t done with the critics. With a smirk and a flash of sarcasm, he took a swipe at Dan Orlovsky, calling him “the Super Analyst.”

This was after Orlovsky questioned Sanders’ arm talent, saying, “I want to see him step on one, really drive one… 55% of Shedeur’s passes in college were within five yards of the line of scrimmage.” Orlovsky didn’t trash Sanders, but he did want to see more fire from the pocket—more velocity, more zip, more juice. And McAfee, in true Pat fashion, made it clear he wasn’t buying into the panic.

Still, the critique wasn’t just noise. Even Shedeur’s Pro Day raised a few eyebrows. While his mechanics were clean and his presence as polished as expected, some analysts walked away concerned. Did his tape and workout reveal a potentially devastating flaw? Is there a ceiling on his deep ball? Or are evaluators simply too distracted by the sheen of Deion Sanders‘ branding to see the substance underneath?

But what’s undeniable is that Shedeur Sanders is built differently. He’s not scrambling for acceptance; he’s already lived a life most rookies can’t fathom. “He has been around cameras his whole life,” Ian said. “He is just different.” That difference makes him hard to peg—but also hard to bet against. His toughness, both mental and physical, has been forged in a spotlight few college quarterbacks have ever stood under. And as Pat rightly pointed out, he helped rebuild a Colorado Buffaloes program that was in ruins, all while juggling reality shows, viral content, and a tidal wave of expectations.

So now, it’s decision time for NFL teams. Do you want a quarterback who might not say the right things in the pre-draft interviews but lights up the locker room with presence? Or do you want a guy like Shedeur—unshaken, unreadable, unnervingly composed—who might already be built for the chaos of Sunday football?

Shedeur Sanders impressed NFL execs with Pro Day performance

Despite what Orlovsky might be mumbling about, Shedeur Sanders looked every bit the part of a top NFL quarterback prospect at Colorado’s Pro Day — at least according to the people who matter most. One AFC executive told Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer, “It matched the tape [in my opinion]. Started a little slow, but then got in a rhythm. Ball placement was good overall. Never had a wow arm on intermediate or shorter stuff, he threw a better ball on deep throws—tighter and it comes out with more velocity.”

Translation: the hype checks out.

Sanders went 58-of-63 in front of a packed house, including 14 staffers from the New York Giants and at least 11 from the Cleveland Browns. That’s no casual interest — both teams hold the No. 2 and No. 3 picks in the 2025 NFL Draft. Among the crowd? Giants GM Joe Schoen and Browns GM Andrew Berry.

According to Shrine Bowl Director of Ops Eric Galko, three of those incompletions were drops — so yeah, the accuracy showed up, too. Did Shedeur blow everyone’s socks off? Maybe not. But he didn’t need to. He showed poise, arm talent, and that trademark calm under pressure — all while keeping his draft stock steady near the top.