Shedeur Sanders jokes about dad Deion's 'separation anxiety' after calls in meetings with NFL teams

Ahead of the East-West Shrine Bowl, Shedeur Sanders got his first chance to meet with NFL teams as he continues to make his case to be the No. 1 pick in the NFL Draft. He spoke with multiple teams, including each of the top three selections on the board.

When Sanders met with those teams, his phone kept ringing, he told NFL Network’s Jane Slater. It was his dad and head coach at Colorado, Deion Sanders – and Shedeur joked about Coach Prime’s “separation anxiety.”

Shedeur Sanders said teams didn’t mind the calls from his dad, though. It also made those conversations even more memorable.

“My dad was calling me,” Sanders said. “That was the most funny thing. My dad was calling me. You know he has separation anxiety. So yeah, he kept calling me.

“I said, ‘Look, Pops, it’s over with. It’s time for me to swim on my own now.’ The coaches enjoyed that.”

Sanders didn’t play in Thursday’s Shrine Bowl, but was still in attendance for the game at AT&T Stadium. He was also meeting with multiple teams throughout the week, including the top teams on the board.

Sanders spoke with the Tennessee Titans, Cleveland Browns and New York Giants – the respective top three picks – in the week leading up to the Shrine Bowl. ESPN’s Daniel Oyefusi said the Titans, who hold the No. 1 overall pick, spoke with Sanders for about 45 minutes.

During those meetings, coaches and team representatives asked their share of questions. Sanders was ready for all of them as the pre-draft process gets fully underway, and he’s prepared for what lies ahead, as well.

“I’m an open book, so whatever questions they had for me, they asked,” Sanders said. “I was just excited for the challenge. The first time they actually were able to meet me in-person to talk.”

Sanders put together an impressive finale to his college career to set himself up for success at the next level. He completed 74% of his passes to lead the nation in completion percentage while throwing for 4,134 yards and 37 touchdowns. He was a key piece of Colorado’s turnaround, and he’ll look to make a similar impact in the NFL wherever he ends up.

As for his stock, Sanders is widely viewed as one of the top quarterbacks on the board. The debate is between him and Cam Ward, who put together an impressive 2024 season of his own at Miami. That conversation will continue the next few months in the lead-up to April’s draft.