Cam Ward. Jaxson Dart. Tyler Shough. Jalen Milroe. Dillon Gabriel. That’s five quarterbacks who landed a new job before heralded Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders was finally snagged by the Cleveland Browns in the fifth round of the 2025 NFL Draft.
Sanders’ draft board drop became the story of the weekend, shocking NFL reporters, insiders and sports fans across the country, considering he was projected to be a top-five overall pick in this year’s draft by many scouts for his elite accuracy and decision-making in college, only for al 32 teams to decide otherwise.
And now, everyone is trying to figure out why...and all signs point to his pops, Deion “Coach Prime” Sanders.
Sanders’ Hall of Fame father has been running his mouth for the longest. The head coach at Jackson State and University of Colorado made headlines for repeatedly hinting that he would veto certain teams from drafting his son.
“I know where I want them to go,” Deion said in an interview with the “Million Dollaz Worth of Game” podcast last year. “There’s certain cities where it ain’t going to happen.”
Deion also told Tamron Hall, “There are teams I won’t allow him to play for.”
While there’s no solid reporting yet to indicate whether Coach Prime went through with the threat, it’s plausible that some teams didn’t want to deal with an Eli Manning situation. That’s when, days before the 2004 draft, Manning’s agent told the San Diego Chargers he wouldn’t play for them if drafted first overall.
The Chargers drafted him anyway, but traded Manning to the Giants an hour later. It’s a rare situation in the NFL that front offices have been leery about ever since.
Prime also must hold accountability for insulating his son’s career. He has been the only coach Sanders has had through his football life. In the NFL, that won’t be the case. Complicating matters, it’s reported that some teams, like the Giants, had concerns about Sanders’ ability to take critique because of that.
Other concerns have been raised about Sanders’ behavior in interviews with team personnel. NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero recounted a longtime NFL assistant describing him as having “horrible body language” in the “worst formal interview I’ve ever been in in my life.”
Factor in Sanders’ refusal to meet with certain teams, skipping workouts and combines, and opting out of showcases like the Senior Bowl, and it creates a messy and complicated picture for why he dropped to 144th overall. Rightly or wrongly, Deion Sanders is a part of that.
It’s tough to fault a guy for sticking up for his kid, especially given the context around the stigmas of Black fatherhood. For Black America, “The Prime Effect” is about more than flashy jewelry and swagger. It’s about a father’s radical love for his children and determination to put it all on the line for their success.
Reminiscent of teams like the Georgetown Hoyas and the Michigan “Fab Five” of the 1980s and 1990s, Colorado football became Black America’s favorite team to watch because of what it meant outside the field of play. Amid hate and doubt, Deion coaching his son to greatness was a statement on the power of a Black man’s presence in a child’s life.
Prime put all his chips in on his son being viewed as a generational talent that teams wouldn’t mind flouting the process for. Unfortunately, that’s just not how the NFL works. And Sanders, while talented, wasn’t viewed by scouts as talented enough to jump through extra hoops.
Deion Sanders should have immense pride in getting both his sons drafted into the NFL. He’s an example of the power of strong Black fatherhood. While his son’s NFL dreams were delayed, they are anything but denied. Prime will continue to be a strong guiding force for his son’s career, but a small step back may be best for his son to thrive.