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Shedeur Sanders is likely to be one of the first quarterbacks taken in the NFL draft. The only question is when he wants to hear his name called on Day 1.
The former Colorado Buffaloes star was the big 12 offensive player of the year with 4,134 passing yards and 37 touchdown passes in the program’s first season at the conference.
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Deion Sanders with his son Sandeur Sanders on the red carpet before the Super Bowl Lix NFL Honor at the Saenger Theater in New Orleans, February 6, 2025. (Kirby Lee-Preferred Pictures)
Sanders brings great talent and a big last name into the NFL. He is the son of Pro Football Hall of Famer Deion Sanders, who was also his coach in Jackson State and Colorado. While name recognition combined with talent in the field is a major reason why Sanders could be chosen as high as No. 2 in the draft, an NFL insider suggested that it could also bring a velvet of potential problems for a team.
“Now at the NFL level, he will be without his father’s presence in football for the first time, and he will have to adapt to his new life, as some players do when they go from high school to college,” Espn’s Adam Schafter wrote in a story. “This in some eyes will be an opportunity for Sanders to grow, continue to learn and take his game to an even higher level.
“And then there is this: Map from Pittsburgh’s Mike Tomlin, any other trainer drafting Sanders is better comfortable with his status in the organization. Because if that team fights and the fan base calls for a coaching change, speculation will begin to swirl about Sanders’ father who takes over.”
Buffaloe’s main coach Deion Sanders during the spring match at Folsom Field in Boulder, Colorado, April 19, 2025. (Isaiah J. Downing-IMAGN PICTURES)
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Schafer described Sanders’ Buyout in Colorado as not “too restrictive.” It begins at $ 12 million if he leaves before the last day of 2025. That would fall to $ 10 million in 2026.
Where sliders Sanders could land is also very much up in the air. Tennessee Titans appear to be focused on Cam Ward.
Cleveland Browns and New York Giants are behind them and could also use a quarterback, although Giants signed Russell Wilson and Jameis Winston during the high season.
Colorado head coach Deion Sanders talks with Quarterback Shedeur Sanders during the Central Florida game, September 28, 2024, in Orlando. (AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack, File)
Las Vegas Raiders at No. 6 and New Orleans Saints at No. 9 could also be candidates. Pittsburgh Steelers needs quarterback help, but that would mean that Sanders falls to No. 21.
