By themselves, the pieces of a puzzle reveal very little. But link them together and a clearly defined picture emerges.

Metaphorically speaking, that describes the NFL Draft. After spending months, if not years, gathering information on prospects, teams then connect all the dots — er, data — to create a fuller picture of whom they might be selecting.

Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders should understand that more than any prospect. His father, Deion Sanders, is not only his head coach but also one of the greatest cornerbacks in NFL history. Coach Prime, as he likes to be called, knows the league and its inner workings as well as anyone. He is familiar with the circus that is the draft process and how innocuous incidents can take on a life of their own.

That’s why I’m surprised Shedeur hasn’t handled the spotlight in a more circumspect manner over the past year. It goes beyond him throwing his offensive linemen under the bus after he was sacked five times in Saturday’s loss at Nebraska. It’s also having his work ethic questioned by Miami quarterback Cam Ward, another potential top-5 pick, after the two trained together in South Florida in the offseason. And him making a disparaging comment about a former teammate after the player transferred. And legendary QB Tom Brady joking (?) that he needed to get out of the car showroom and into the film room after he posted pictures in a Rolls-Royce.

“How many times did Raiola get touched?”

Shedeur Sanders putting the blame on his O-Line

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— Unnecessary Roughness (@UnnecRoughness) September 8, 2024

By themselves, these things might not mean a lot.

But when strung together, they could result in uncomfortable questions about his fitness to potentially be drafted No. 1 — which is one of the reasons he returned for his senior season. As one former longtime general manager told me this week: “If you’re asking the question, teams are definitely going to be asking the question.”

At this point, just three weeks into the season, it’s too early to credibly discuss front-runners for the top spot. And though some entered the year projecting 2025 to be a QB-weak draft class, history tells us relative unknowns will be pushed up draft boards by the end of the season, making for a robust discussion about who should go No. 1.

We’re sure to hear names like Texas’ Quinn Ewers, Georgia’s Carson Beck, and Miami’s Ward, all of whom are talented and leading potential playoff squads. USC’s Miller Moss also could join the conversation. None is more physically talented than Sanders, but, to this point, each has handled the spotlight with greater dexterity.

Sanders has to know he is going to be judged differently than others. For one, he is a quarterback, which is the premium position in football. For another, he is a quarterback who happens to be Black in a league that only recently has viewed African Americans as capable of excelling at the position. And thirdly, he is a quarterback who happens to be Black and is the son of Deion Sanders, a man whose confidence, flash and bravado rubs some the wrong way. To think that Shedeur won’t be judged more critically is to be naive.

That said, none of these things will prevent Sanders from being highly drafted. But they could create openings for unnecessary and unwanted drama leading up to the draft, which has a voracious appetite when it comes to inane storylines. See, Cam Newton and “fake smile” for Exhibit 1A.

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Seeking perspective, I reached out to a couple of former general managers and asked what impact these puzzle pieces could have on Sanders’ consideration as a No. 1 pick. Both were involved in selecting a QB among the first three picks, including one at the very top, and each spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the matter. Their views contrasted.

“All of these things do matter,” one said. “We’ve seen some great quarterbacks over the years who are unbelievably talented but they just can’t pull it off. There are many, many like that. … At this point, if I’m coming back to the league and kicking off a new regime, with what I know, I would never have Shedeur kick things off with me. I’m trying to pinpoint why that is, and I just don’t trust everything I’m seeing right now. He’s got some money from the portal and he’s spending it the way he is. … I just don’t trust his maturity. I don’t trust how he’s going to be able to handle the limelight, which sounds odd because he should be able to handle it more than anyone because he’s been around it all his life. I don’t mean handle the limelight; rather, is he going to be a distraction in that building? Is he going to irritate people? Do his teammates like him, or do they resent him?”

Said the other: “During the draft process, everybody pokes holes. Yes, people are going to be looking at that stuff. But I view it differently. Those types of things are all learned, maturing traits. We forget that kids are going to be kids. What you look for is how quickly they will grow up. Obviously, he has grown up in an athletic environment where he’s used to having the best around him. The work ethic will be the most important thing. The stuff about the comments and things like that, people will worry about that a little bit, but the work ethic is the thing. If you don’t think he’s going to have the work ethic, it’s a big red flag. You look at Jayden Daniels and he had the receivers in at 5:30 in the morning for meetings. You look at Matt Ryan, and he used to take his offensive linemen to dinner once a week. That said, I do think you have to be very careful about letting those things build up.”

Both men called Sanders “extremely talented” and said they expect him to be among the top quarterbacks in the 2025 draft. He could have turned pro after last season and possibly been the first quarterback taken after Caleb Williams, who went first overall to the Chicago Bears. But he came back because he said the timing “didn’t feel right,” the season didn’t “end right,” with Colorado finishing 4-8 after a 3-0 start, and because he wants to be the first quarterback off the draft board.

He has the talent, without question, completing 69 percent of his passes for 3,230 yards and 27 touchdowns, with just three interceptions, last season behind an awful line. Scouts speak highly of his accuracy, arm talent and pocket mobility. The tangibles. But the intangibles are what clubs figure to dissect during the draft process. They will want to know about his makeup and leadership skills. So far this year, frustration is seeping through.

He was sacked 56 times last season and has been dropped six times through two games this year. If his protection doesn’t improve in the coming weeks, how will he respond? The answer could be a major piece to his draft-day puzzle.

(Photo: Matthew Stockman / Getty Images)