Shedeur Sanders claps back at his critics: 'You know who my dad is?'

Former Colorado Buffaloes quarterback Shedeur Sanders clapped back at his critics on Friday. And in the process, the star QB cited his father, Deion Sanders.

The 2025 NFL Draft prospect has been the subject to commentary from all angles throughout the last couple of months, as many believe he’s one of the top players slated to be available come April. However, it’s been a mixed bag, with some theorizing Sanders isn’t worthy of being a premium pick, even if he’s one of the best signal-callers ascending from the college level. 

So, how’s Sanders handling the perceived slight of teams and analysts alike not championing his game? He harkened back to his father’s incredible career, remembering that Deion Sanders had plenty of haters too, and he proved them wrong at every turn.

 “You think I’m worried about what critics say, or what people got to say? You know who my dad is? They hated on him too,” Sanders proclaimed, regarding how he’s handling criticism ahead of the 2025 NFL Draft, via Mike Klis of 9News. “So it’s almost normal. Without people hating him, it’s not normal for us. So, we like adversity. We like everything that comes with the name.”

Even as a coach, Deion Sanders has risen above and found incredible success, with immense doubt thrown his way at Jackson State and Colorado. Shedeur Sanders knows a thing or two about that, and being the quarterback through two rebuilds at the college level will help him immensely in the NFL.

The stats don’t lie either, as Shedeur Sanders led the nation with a 74% completion percentage as a senior in Boulder this past season. He also totaled 4,134 yards and 37 touchdowns, along with just 10 interceptions on 477 pass attempts.

What stands out about Sanders’ numbers, though, is the fact his top two receivers – Travis Hunter and LaJohntay Wester – had 96 receptions and 74 receptions, respectively. Those numbers both ranked in the Top 35 receptions in college football. Sanders can work through his progressions if his first option isn’t there.

Even if some are hating on Shedeur Sanders ahead of the 2025 NFL Draft, he still projects as a top ten pick at the worst, and he likely won’t fall beyond the first seven or eight picks, at the most. One team will be more than thankful they were able to land the quarterback, especially if he continues to operate with a chip on his shoulder moving forward.

— On3’s Nick Schultz contributed to this article.