We haven’t officially seen an NFL prospect pull a power move since Eli Manning in 2004, but Deion Sanders and Shedeur Sanders could be the next popular figures who buck the trend. Shedeur is not projected to go No. 1 overall in the 2025 NFL Draft, but this early in the process, anything’s possible.
Helping return the Colorado Buffaloes to a ranked team, Shedeur is still being viewed as a first-round prospect, but there’s no way to know just how early or late he’ll go. Yet, with his dad helping him every step of the way, it’s possible Shedeur’s journey to the NFL will be monitored and possibly controlled closely.
Deion Sanders explains which team should draft Shedeur Sanders
The NFL Draft is a process unlike any other in pro football. Unlike free agency, players are not able to pick and choose which teams they want to play for. Once drafted, they’re obligated to play out their four or five-year contract and enter free agency when eligible.
Yet, as we’ve seen in very rare cases, like with Eli Manning, sometimes a prospect is so polarizing that they’re able to avoid the team that drafts them. It happened when Manning’s dad, Archie, helped navigate Eli away from the Chargers and to the Giants instead.
Once the 2025 NFL Draft process gets further along, with the top draft order being finalized when the season ends, we’ll have a much better idea of which teams are in position to select a quarterback. Yet, according to Deion Sanders, it’s possible that the team that wants to draft Shedeur Sanders won’t actually end up with him.
Deion suggests that he’ll personally prevent a team from drafting Shedeur if they don’t collectively feel like it’s a good situation. So, what would be a good scenario for Shedeur to land in?
“Yea, but I’m not going to do it publicly, I’ll do it privately. I’m not going to give you regions. I’ll give you understanding. Somebody that can handle the quarterback that he is. Somebody that can handle understanding what he’s capable of. Someone that has had success in the past handling quarterbacks. Or someone in an organization that understands what they’re doing. Not just throwing you out there where you don’t have the support and the infrastructure of the team. Forget the line. But just the infrastructure of the team and the direction of where we’re going.”
Deion Sanders on Shedeur Sanders
.@DeionSanders says he will step in if the wrong team drafts Shedeur. 👀 pic.twitter.com/WK67vSyouY
— Speak (@SpeakOnFS1) November 12, 2024
The NFL landscape today could look much different in April, long after coaching changes have occurred, plus the always fluid free agency and trade market. So while a team like the Giants may look like they lack structure right now, it’s possible they’ll be in a better position to select a quarterback like Shedeur in the 2025 NFL Draft after expected changes are made.
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