Deion Sanders did everything he could to get his sons, specifically Shedeur, on the biggest stage with the biggest platform and the red carpet to follow in his Hall of Fame footsteps. He took Shedeur from being an FCS quarterback at Jackson State to Power 5 at Colorado.
In two seasons, Colorado became relevant, Shedeur lit up college defenses and the hype around Shedeur grew. But maybe it was just that … hype. Shedeur has yet to hear his name called in the NFL Draft as the second round concludes.
There’s been two quarterbacks taken since Cam Ward was selected No. 1 overall and none of them were Shedeur, despite him being considered the second best quarterback in a thin class. Even worse, a week ago Shedeur had his jersey retired at Colorado.
After an average career with a 13-12 record in two seasons, no bowl wins, no College Football Playoff berths and not even the best player on the team, nobody at Colorado can wear No. 2 without his permission. That’s the work of his dad, Deion.
For as much as Deion has done for Shedeur, the one thing his dad can’t do is save him from his NFL Draft nightmare.
Shedeur Sanders is free falling in the NFL Draft and not even his dad and NFL HOFer, Deion Sanders, can save him
There’s a lot of speculation about why Shedeur is free falling in the NFL Draft. Is it his arrogance and entitlement like one anonymous source pointed out? Are teams hesitant to take him this early with him still being a project? Maybe it’s the fact that he passed on the Senior Bowl and NFL Scouting Combine for his Pro Day instead.
To dive into the mind of NFL front office personnel would only add more confusion. Shedeur had a great 2024 season at Colorado. He threw for 4,134 yards and 37 touchdowns in his final season. No quarterback taken had better numbers.
But apparently his flashy style, which he probably adopted from his dad, isn’t clicking with NFL owners and coaches. Why he’s being treated like this is a mystery. NFL.com graded Shedeur with a 6.30 rating. By their grading scale, that puts him as an eventual starter, but still needs development.
Then you look at his athleticism score: 63. Is that why teams are backing off him? Have Jayden Daniels, Lamar Jackson and Patrick Mahomes set a new standard for teams look for in a quarterback.
You take all that into consideration and maybe the biggest question mark is what is Shedeur’s identity without his dad. Deion has coached Shedeur pretty much at every level. Shedeur went to Jackson State because of his dad, then Colorado because of his dad.
He can’t follow his dad to the NFL. And maybe front offices are cautious he could be a loose cannon or a problem in the locker room because of his ego and how he’s probably been the golden child in every locker room he’s been in – this is just my opinion.
Shedeur might not hear his name in the third round either. It could either be a mistake or a bigger issue as to why. But we know one thing for sure, Shedeur’s fate is no longer in Deion’s hands.