The son of Colorado head coach Deion Sanders, safety Shilo Sanders has started every game for the Buffaloes so far this season. Deion Sanders made headlines this past week after joking that neither of his sons were going to the NFL after this season, leading many to speculate about both of the Sanders’ NFL futures.
Coach Prime said Shilo & Shedeur ain’t going to the NFL next year 😂
🎥: @WellOffForever , @DeionSandersJr pic.twitter.com/g42l52Bzcn
— Shannonnn sharpes Burner (PARODY Account) (@shannonsharpeee) September 19, 2023
Is Shilo Sanders Draft-Eligible?
While Shedeur Sanders has been the focus of virtually all of the media attention, Shilo Sanders is also eligible for the 2024 NFL Draft.
Sanders was part of the 2019 recruiting class. Per NFL rules, a prospect must be removed from high school three years to be draft-eligible. With the COVID rules, Sanders has two years of college eligibility remaining for the 2023 and 2024 seasons.
Sanders spent two years at South Carolina, appearing in just 13 games and finishing on the SEC First-Year Academic Honor Roll in 2019. Afterward, Sanders joined his father at Jackson State, where he earned Second-Team All-SWAC in 2021 before following him to Colorado for this season.
However, Sanders has yet to break out on the national radar for draft coverage. Per Mock Draft Database, Sanders has yet to be featured in a single mock draft for this upcoming draft.
Sanders will be looking to capitalize on a huge performance in Week 3 against in-state rival Colorado State. Sanders finished with five tackles but forced a fumble and had a pivotal pick-six that helped Colorado win.
— go to ➡️ collegefootballnetwork.com (@PickettsPool) September 17, 2023
It’s hard to definitively answer about Sanders’ NFL future with his draft stock slow to build, but Sanders can return for one more season to try and build his stock further before declaring.
Shilo Sanders Background
Sanders isn’t just a product of being his father’s son. He began earning scholarship offers in 2017 from many familiar FBS teams. The UCF Knights and Oregon State Beavers were the first FBS teams to offer Sanders a scholarship, followed by Syracuse, Texas A&M, Oregon, Georgia, Tennessee, Florida State, and South Carolina.
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He was rated as a three-star prospect out of Cedar Hill, Texas, and a three-star transfer prospect by 247sports. He was the 62nd cornerback in the country and the 83-ranked player out of Texas. ESPN had him as the 287th-best player in the ESPN300 rankings.
So far at Colorado, he’s outperformed both of those ratings. If he continues on his trajectory, Sanders will be a viable prospect for the 2024 or 2025 NFL Draft class. Our Scouting team will be watching closely to see if Sanders joins his brother as an emerging riser throughout the year.