Arizona writer begrudgingly calls Colorado football QB Shedeur Sanders Big 12's best signal-caller

Zona Zealots' Mason Duhon clearly didn't want to, but he had to give Colorado football QB Shedeur Sanders his due as the best signal-caller in the conference from a pure talent perspective; despite having objections with how the "Grown QB" conducts himself.

"As overrated as the Colorado program is as a whole, it's largely because of one man: Shedeur Sanders," Duhon wrote. "The son of Hall-of-Fame NFL player turned college football head coach Deion Sanders was slinging the rock all over the yard last season, and he certainly is a first-round pick in terms of pure talent.

"If the younger Sanders can do away with some of his ego and stop fueling the noxious flames surrounding the Buffaloes, his stock will skyrocket. He's got a cannon of an arm and uses his legs effectively but sparingly. The sky is the limit for Sanders; he just needs to understand that having a flashy watch and a big name doesn't make you a better player or man."

Will Colorado football QB Shedeur Sanders' behavior affect his NFL draft stock?

Many would point to Shedeur's return fire at Xavier Smith -- claiming he doesn't remember the 2022 Colorado safety and saying he must have been "mid at best" -- as a red flag for NFL front offices. Is it actually though?

Let's not pretend NFL quarterbacks don't talk trash themselves. Tom Brady did. Philip Rivers did. Baker Mayfield does.

Shedeur's talent is undeniable, and we haven't even seem him behind a capable offensive line. Coach Prime gave the 2023 offensive line the 2022 CU roster treatment -- inviting that group to "hit the portal" and replacing them en masse.

Just because he told a peer that they weren't good after said player spoke ill of his program, doesn't mean he will lose his standing as a top NFL draft pick. In fact, some front offices may even like his fire.