As Shedeur Sanders prepares for the next step of his career, he's forced to go on the defensive about why he's projected to tumble in next month's NFL Draft. After skipping out on participating in the East-West Shrine Bowl, NFL Combine, and most recently, the Big 12 Pro Day, the Colorado QB has NFL teams torn in a perception vs. reality battle.
Most view him as a top pick, but at least one NFL team has worked overtime to tank Sanders' stock. The misconception recently forced Deion Sanders to step in and defend his son. For better or worse, the Hall-of-Famer presented a clear message to the masses about his son and is ready to disclose which NFL team is throwing dirt on Shedeur's name.
When Coach Prime was asked by NFL Network reporter Bucky Brooks about his son's interview process being controversial, he shot it down immediately, saying, "Now that was a lie."
Shedeur Sanders (left) with Deion Sanders (right) © Kirby Lee-Imagn Images © Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
"We like to call that stuff out, though," Sanders said. "I know who it is. You're going to make me call him out. You know what team, yeah, all right? You gotta understand it. Don't make me pull behind the curtains and step in that thing."
Brooks pressed further and asked about the lead up to the draft. However, Deion knows how the process works. Some teams will fabricate details in hopes a 'generational talent' falls to them. It's part of the game. Not to worry, Shedeur is built to play along.
"We're great with adversity," Sanders said. "We've always been through adversity. We've always been challenged with adversity and naysaying and doubting. He is built for that. He's the most qualified young man who plays that position that's built for that, and to be in front of the lights and to continuously shine."
Shedeur isn't one to crack under pressure. If the past two seasons have shown us anything about his character, he's not going to fold when situations get difficult. He was one the most-sacked QB and still found a way to throw for over 4,000 yards.
"We always understood to block out the noise," Shedeur told NFL Network. "There's a lot of critics. There's a lot of hate. But we know what to do. We know how to handle that in every way, so we remain happy."
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The pre-draft chatter has been interesting, to say the least. Even with Shedeur choosing not to work out, the anonymous criticism by saying he's been 'brash' or 'arrogant' will only fuel his fire. It's been a "learning experience" but this was similar to how his father was perceived in 1989. We forget about the 'phone book' playbook thrown at him by the Giants. Some NFL teams can't get out of their own way when it comes to a desire to win.
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Deion might have said it best, "I try to keep it on the high road, but I don't know the address,"
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Without a doubt, Shedeur Sanders is arguably the most intriguing prospect of the past decade. He's not just the son of a great athlete riding into a situation where he feels forced to carry out a legacy at the next level. More teams will discover that, but it may be too late.
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This story was originally published March 24, 2025 at 6:35 AM.