Deion Sanders laments criticism son Shedeur faces ahead of NFL draft but says he's 'built for this'

BOULDER, Colo. — Deion Sanders never fretted over his own NFL draft journey. He had the leverage to go where he wanted — Atlanta — because he was also a baseball star who had been drafted by the New York Yankees a year earlier.

He's not stressing over his sons' draft odysseys, either, even as highly touted quarterback Shedeur navigates heavy doses of negativity and safety Shilo is projected to go undrafted altogether.

''You've got to understand, when that last name is on your back, you're going to be attacked and ridiculed by naysayers,'' Sanders said.

But, he said, his sons ''are built for this.''

Raised to handle the critics, to tune out the hostility.

Sanders coached Shedeur and Shilo the last two years at Colorado. Before that he coached Shedeur for two years at Jackson State. Shilo joined his family in Boulder in 2023 after playing two seasons at South Carolina.

Sanders shudders to think what kind of hate he'd have gotten in 1989 had he faced the kind of constant scrutiny kids — his and others — do nowadays.

''They receive a lot more ignorance than I did,'' Sanders said. ''You know, I received some, but we didn't have the social media channels and all the things that's privy today. Not at all. I mean, you've got to understand I was a two-sport star at the time so you could imagine what it would have been like with all the hate and the naysayers. I was a little different.''

Sanders made it clear that he wanted to play for the Falcons, who chose him with the fifth overall pick in the 1989 NFL draft.

''My kids don't have that luxury of saying where they want to go," Sanders said.

Shedeur Sanders, who is projected to go in the first round Thursday night, said he doesn't necessarily need the bright lights of Broadway or the Bellagio. "I could bring cameras and eyes anywhere I go,'' he said. And he insists the attention won't bother him one bit because, as his father said, he was raised to, yes, keep calm and carry on.

''One thing I learned is to not really care about anybody's opinion but those around us who matter," Shedeur said.

Should Shilo go undrafted as so many seem to expect, he might be able to go to a desired destination providing teams come calling with the chance to make their roster as an undrafted free agent.

''He just needs a team to give him a shot,'' his father said, and ''Shedeur is a workaholic. He is who he is and sometimes people forget what he's accomplished here at CU and how accurate and how good he is because you've got to take a shot at somebody and you might as well take a shot at a Sanders."

Keep bringing it on, Sanders said.

"We've already won. We came from a private school. And we came from an HBCU. We've won. Shedeur's getting drafted. He's going in the first round. Shilo's going to do his thing. All he needs is his opportunity. We've won, man. We've already won."

Flash and dash

Long before he was ''Coach Prime,'' Sanders was ''Neon Deion'' and later, ''Prime Time.'' He brought the swagger not only to the gridiron for nine NFL seasons but to the diamond during a 14-year career in Major League Baseball.

Sanders flashed in the 40-yard dash at the 1989 NFL scouting combine, where he was clocked at 4.27 seconds, which is just six-hundredths of a second shy of Xavier Worthy's record 4.21 dash recorded in 2024.

Sanders recently recalled saying he didn't stretch before running his 40 because ''the cheetah doesn't stretch before he goes and gets his prey.''

His sons, especially Shedeur, have that same bravado, like when he flashes his ''watch'' celebration after touchdowns.

There were reports after the combine that at least one team didn't like Shedeur's braggadocio, although others said that's exactly what a team relishes in its quarterback.

''I don't know what they expect from my kids,'' Sanders said. ''They're daddy's sons, man."

Shilo's knock

Shilo Sanders had one bad game in college, a 31-28 loss to Kansas State last season after returning from a broken forearm that sidelined him three weeks.

''Shilo's got several years of film that are impeccable,'' his father said. ''Shilo had one negative game that we could denote. Shilo's been a pillar of consistency. Shilo is an old-school player playing under these new-school guidelines. Shilo is a dog."

Shedeur's knock

In 50 collegiate games, Shedeur Sanders threw for 14,347 yards and 134 touchdowns with 27 interceptions. He completed 70.1% of his passes and ran for 17 scores.

''And all of a sudden his arm is weak?'' his father cracked.

Like a son

Travis Hunter, the Buffaloes' Heisman-winning two-way star, is like another son to Sanders, who said a year ago Hunter and Shedeur should go 1-2 in the 2025 NFL draft.

''And I'm going to stick by that. I think they're the two best players in this draft,'' Sanders said.

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AP Sports Writer Pat Graham contributed.

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Follow Arnie Melendrez Stapleton at  https://apnews.com/author/arnie-melendrez-stapleton

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