They say, ‘like father, like son.’ But when it’s applied to the Sanders fam, it has almost always taken a dark turn. Deion Sanders’ boys, Shedeur and Shilo, had been in the hot seat all throughout their college football career, fighting the ‘nepo kid’ attacks. The pressure is already more than the other draft prospects. Now that Shedeur is hailed as one of the top picks in the 2025 NFL Draft, Deion had some dreams for his son. Back in February, he said, “We didn’t aim to be the first pick, we just aimed to be the 1st round. High in the 1st round…And his goal and his dream is to be drafted higher than I was, and I geel as though we’re gonna achieve that as well.” Now that the draft is knocking at the door, Shedeur broke his silence, threatening his plan to follow Papa Prime’s path. Meanwhile, the Pittsburgh Steelers being a hot pursuer, head coach Mike Tomlin came with a clear-cut take on Shedeur.
Well, ever since Shedeur had committed to the 2025 NFL Draft, it has been a rocky road for him. The young chap had hailed himself as the best, not to settle for anything other than the top pick. But the universe came in with multiple grounding alerts. Field Yates projected the Buffs quarterback to be going at the No.6 pick. Do you remember what was Shedeur’s reaction? He said, “That’s crap bruh. I ain’t going 6th.” But after this, more heartwrenching projections started to pour in. CBS Sports’ Tom Fornelli projected Shedeur to be falling to No. 22, while USA Today’s Michael Middlehurst-Schwartz sees Deion’s son as the No.26 pick. Plus, till now, Shedeur has been Deion’s shadow. From Jackson State to the Colorado Buffaloes, he was lucky enough to have a head coach who had also been his father. So is he going to cope with this absence?
In an interview with ESPN Originals, he sounded confident. “Everything my dad did been legendary. I am here to carry on the family name. Dad definitely will be missed, but it’s time to move on. Time to be legendary.” So, isn’t it obvious that Shedeur will now have to fight the expectations of living up to his dad’s standards? On the April 22nd episode of the 2Legendary with Shedeur Sanders podcast, host Darius Sanders had a question for the Buffs quarterback. “You said before, it was your goal to be drafted before your dad. He went number five. Has it changed overall, or is that still goal of yours?” Shedeur came up with a laugh, “Haha!” Followed by, “Uh (a short pause for thinking). 50/50.” Why so?
The Buffs quarterback continued, “Because it could be what’s best for you. It could be but it’s not best for you. So itwas more of a goal at first I would say because you’re just looking at that but you’re not looking at like life after that.” Let’s time travel back to the 1989 NFL Draft. Deion ran 40-yard dash times of 4.27 and 4.29 at the 1989 combine. So, it was obvious that he was going to be top-5 selection. He was drafted fifth overall by the Falcons in the 1989 NFL Draft, where he spent five of his 14 NFL seasons.
By the time Deion was available for Atlanta at the fifth pick, Ken Herock, the team’s general manager at the time, said it was a clear choice. So, in Shedeur’s case, the situation might be different. So, he trusts God’s plan. “The best situation for me is what’s going to happen on draft day and I’m sure of that cause I talked to God… So, if it’s before him or if it’s after him it truly doesn’t matter.” Turns out that the NFL suitors are pursuing Shedeur for who he is and not whose son he is.
Mike Tomlin’s interesting take on Shedeur Sanders
The pre-draft day press conferences have hit the floor. The Steelers’ duo, GM Omar Khan and head coach Tomlin, had to field questions about Shedeur. Coming off as a quarterback-hungry team, they have pursued both Shedeur and veteran Aaron Rodgers. In the Steelers, the Buffs quarterback might be the No.21 pick. Now, most people take it for granted that since Tomlin has a long-standing relationship with the player’s Hall of Famer dad, it’s going to be an easy ride for the quarterback. But that’s surely not the case.
Tomlin clarified how they kept themselves away from pursuing Shedeur as Deion’s shadow. Rather, they focused on getting to know one another from both a personal and professional standpoint. “It was a normal pre-draft visit, to spend time with a young man, to talk ball, to get to know him as an individual, to get to see how he processes and sees the game and how he articulates his football experience. From that standpoint, it was a very normal visit and a very productive one.” Unfortunately, the Steelers are not the program that Deion wants his son to go to.
Coach Prime has his sights set on one destination in particular — New York. In an interview in March, he confessed, “Let’s hope it’s New York.” For Shedeur to land with the Giants, the Tennessee Titans and Cleveland Browns would have to pass on him. But now that the Buffs quarterback is more interested in painting his own story, without borrowing the colors from his dad’s past, the Giants might not stand a chance.
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