Consensus Day 1 pick (and perhaps first overall pick) in the 2025 NFL Draft, Shedeur Sanders, has always seen his football career closely entwined with his father, Deion Sanders’ coaching profession.
Coach Prime has been a mentor to his son since high school and has consistently worked to ensure Shedeur’s ideal outcome when he’s drafted.
Now that the quarterback is ready to make the jump to the NFL, Deion, whose worth is estimated at $45 million by Celebrity Net Worth, won’t be by his side anymore. In light of this, the QB answered some questions from the media.
Shedeur Sanders on Deion Sanders’ Involvement in His Career
The QB was in attendance at the East-West Shrine Bowl practices, even though he did not practice to avoid any possible injury ahead of the draft. After he met with a few teams on Jan. 24, including the Tennessee Titans, Shedeur responded to the view that Coach Prime’s involvement in his career is excessive.
“I didn’t know your parents being involved and wanting the best for you is a problem,” Shedeur said to the media on Jan. 25. “I think as parents, each and every one would want the best for their kids. The fact that he has the opportunity to do that for me and he has the best quarterback in the country, he’s supposed to do that.”
The signal-caller also shared insight on Deion’s mindset while raising him and his siblings and that the coach ensured they learned to earn their keep.
“That’s where we got a different type of attitude and different type of grit towards because he made sure we understand, ‘We have a nice house, but this is all my (Deion’s) stuff. This isn’t your stuff.’ So then, we inherited that mindset that in any situation, we’re comfortable wherever we’re at.”
Shedeur Sanders on how his father raised him and made sure they understood they had to go get their own. pic.twitter.com/vx5FNioCvG
— TURRON DAVENPORT (@TDavenport_NFL) January 25, 2025
With the QB ready to take on the upcoming draft with that strong mindset, Pro Football Network’s latest 7-round mock projects him as the No. 1 overall pick for the Titans.
PFN Draft Analyst Dalton Miller says of Sanders, “The days of statuesque passers are a thing of the past. Shedeur Sanders is the evolution of the pocket passer. He’s athletic enough to get on the hoof and pick up first downs with his legs, but many might be surprised to hear he’s not close to the athlete his father was. Instead, he fits into the Geno Smith or C.J. Stroud-like mold.
“Sanders’ almost instantaneous release makes up for what is only a slightly above-average arm. It lets him consistently test tight windows, and his class-best accuracy helps his projection as a long-time NFL starter.
“Sanders’ pressure-to-sack rate and willingness to hold onto the ball could, and should, cause some concern. However, the context to that is he’s also operated on an NFL timeline for the past two seasons behind arguably one of the worst offensive lines in the country.”
According to reporter Jim Wyatt, Shedeur told reporters at the Shrine Bowl, “I’d love it. I would be thankful” if he were to be picked by Tennessee at No. 1. The reporter also shared that the franchise’s head coach Brian Callahan described the QB as “mature” and “poised” after their session.
Apart from the Titans, the signal-caller also had a meeting with the Cleveland Browns and the New York Giants.