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Deion Sanders reveals advice to son Shedeur during NFL Draft process: 'Embrace the moment'

ns_headshot_2024-clearby:Nick Schultz•02/19/25•

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Colorado HC Deion Sanders with QB Shedeur Sanders at the NFL Honors
© Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

In 1989, Deion Sanders went through the pre-draft process as one of the top players on the board. Now, he’s helping his son Shedeur navigate things – and Coach Prime revealed his advice ahead of the NFL Scouting Combine.

One of the top college football players in the country when he came out of Florida State, Deion Sanders became the No. 5 overall pick by the Atlanta Falcons. While Shedeur wants to go higher than that, Deion also had an important message for him.

As the process goes along, Sanders pointed out the changing narratives that are sure to come up in the nine weeks until the 2025 NFL Draft. That’s why he encouraged Shedeur to keep his head down and “embrace the moment.”

“I told him first of all, don’t believe nothing they say because people are going to criticize you so you can fall to them,” Deion Sanders said on SiriusXM NFL Radio. “So don’t believe none of that. It’s positioning right now. But he’s speaking to the guys that make the moves, so he’s not listening to the media. He’s speaking to head coaches, GMs and all that of the first three teams, pretty much, because that’s where we think he’s going to land. Somewhere in there.

“But my advice to him is just, embrace the moment. But he’s so poised and polished. He gets it, man. Shedeur, he’s been riding with me for a long time. So he really gets it.”

Shedeur Sanders’ draft position will be interesting

Shedeur Sanders is considered one of the consensus top quarterbacks in this year’s draft, along with Miami’s Cam Ward. He put together an impressive senior season at Colorado in 2024 as the most accurate quarterback in the country, completing 74% of his passes for 4,134 yards and 37 touchdowns.

Where Sanders goes in April’s draft, though, could get interesting. All eyes are on what the Tennessee Titans do with the No. 1 pick – whether they keep it and take a quarterback, select someone else or if they trade it. The Cleveland Browns could also choose a quarterback at No. 2, and the sense is the New York Giants will be in the market for a QB.

The New England Patriots and Jacksonville Jaguars have quarterbacks in place, meaning the next quarterback-needy team is the Las Vegas Raiders at No. 6 overall. That could be a landing spot for Sanders if he’s still on the board – and ESPN’s Jordan Reid called it a perfect fit if it works out.

“I think it’s a perfect fit, just because when we’re talking about the Tom Brady and the Shedeur Sanders connection, that’s an obvious one,” Reid said on SportsCenter Special. “But this is team that I feel like wants to win right away. … This is a team I feel is a franchise needs a quarterback desperately, and Shedeur Sanders is the type of player that I think of all the quarterbacks in this year’s draft class, is the most polished passer in this year’s group and has a chance to be the best in Year 1 right away just because of how well he sees the field. A 74% completion percentage a season ago, which was the best in the country. He has a skillset that translates right away on the next level.”