Well, sometimes tough moments show how family matters. But when it’s for the Colorado Buffaloes quarterback Shedeur Sanders, he never needed a grounding alert to appreciate the value of his family, especially his father, Deion Sanders. After all, Shedeur knows how blessed he is to have Deion both as his head coach and life coach as well. Even though to many it might be mollycoddling, to this day Deion is particular about guiding the Buffs quarterback in every aspect of his life. Do you remember how particular Coach Prime was about Shedeur’s NFL destination? Even being a young adult, the Buffs QB considers himself to be blessed to be following his dad’s advice. 

Now come on, being a Hall of Famer dad’s son is not easy at all. After all, ever since college, Deion had been the attention magnet, for his athletic skills, of course. A two-time consensus All-American in football, Coach Prime was the 1988 Thorpe Award winner as the nation’s finest defensive back in his senior year. Back at FSU, Shedeur’s dad made history with 14 career interceptions that ranked among the top two in school history. Along with this, he was the top punt returner at FSU. And guess what? More than two decades later, Sanders still holds the FSU career record for number of punt returns (126) and punt return yardage (1,429). Now, given these numbers, it’s easier to fathom the pressure that gets passed down to Shedeur. 

But again, being Deion’s son, it’s obvious that the Buffs QB has been used to all this fame since childhood. This automatically gave birth to a sense of pride and the urge to carry on this legacy, generation after generation. On April 26, Colorado Buffaloes reporter Scott Procter had Shedeur on a conference call. That’s when the 23-year-old confessed how “burden” is out of the syllabus when it comes to the dad-son relationship.

“It’s never really a burden,” asserted Shedeur with conviction. He came with a message for the ones fighting ‘nepo baby’ attacks. “Other kids in similar situations, I just want them to be proud of what their fathers have accomplished so you can carry on the legacy + family name. I don’t like when people make people feel ashamed about it.”

However, did the realization hit Shedeur overnight? Absolutely not. After all, he had his share of good and bad days. In his first season in Boulder, Shedeur became the most sacked player in the history of college football by recording 52 sacks. And that’s when people jumped to the conclusion that nepotism reigns in the Sanders fam. Yes, Shedeur, in a way, failed to make his father proud. But the fire within him to carry forward the legacy kept on burning bright. And the very next season, Shedeur made his father prouder.

The Buffs quarterback became the 1st in Colorado single-season passing yards (4,134), 1st in Colorado single-season completion percentage (74.0%), along with many first ranks. But maybe the fault is in his stars. Still, Shedeur had a free fall in the 2025 NFL Draft and went undrafted till the fourth round. Finally, Andrew Berry and the Cleveland Browns came as the messiah, picking him in round 5. After one of the biggest surprises, the GM broke the silence on April 26, Saturday.  

Deion Sanders’ nightmare as Shedeur Sanders lands in Cleveland

Now, you can draw a big curve when it comes to Shedeur’s journey to the NFL. The Colorado quarterback was once considered a possibility to be chosen No. 1 overall in the 2025 NFL Draft. Forget others, Shedeur himself was sure of being one of the Top 5 picks. So much so that he came with a sharp retort when Field Yates’ mock draft showed him landing as the No.6 pick. Do you remember what the Buffs quarterback’s reaction was? The analysis did not sit well with him. He said, “That’s crap brugh I ain’t going sixth.” Hardly did the young chap know what the universe had in store for him. 

The Cleveland Browns selected Shedeur with the 144th pick in the fifth round of the 2025 NFL draft. In Berry’s squad, the Buffs quarterback is taken as an add-on. After all, they had already drafted Oregon quarterback Dillon Gabriel in the third round. But to the Browns, counting on Shedeur as the long-term option was worth it. As the head coach shared, “He’s highly accurate. Can play well from the pocket. Very productive college career. It wasn’t necessarily the plan going into the weekend to draft two quarterbacks. We believe in best player available. We didn’t expect him to be available in the fifth.” Will Deion be happy with Shedeur’s new home?

Probably not. After all, in Coach Prime’s list of ‘ideal’ programs for son Shedeur, Cleveland never stood a chance. Here, the parameter for ‘ideal’ is a well-run franchise with a sound track record of developing rookie quarterbacks. When it comes to Cleveland, they had a troubled history. Since the franchise returned in 1999, they have started 40 different quarterbacks. And guess what? Only two quarterbacks have played a full season for the Browns. So, Shedeur might be watching his shot at carrying the Sanders torch slowly disappear.