The Colorado Buffaloes are bowl-eligible, leading to the coaching credibility of Deion Sanders, the iconic Dallas Cowboys ex and Pro Football Hall of Famer. Along with credibility comes power, and now there are more rumors than ever swirling that "Coach Prime'' might flex his muscles in a way that would guide his son Shedeur to a preferred employer via the 2025 NFL Draft.
Starting quarterback Shedeur Sanders could be one of the top picks in 2025 as he is a centerpiece of Colorado's program. Normally, players in the draft simply go to the team that selects them. But once upon a time, John Elway bucked that system, using his Major League Baseball candidacy to leverage the Colts into helping him land with the Broncos. And more recently, the Manning family engineered Eli out of the grasp of the Chargers and to the New York Giants.
And now? "There is a zero-percent chance Deion lets Shedeur get drafted by Cleveland," said former NFL quarterback Dan Orlovsky. "Cleveland or Carolina will not happen."
We have no idea if ESPN's Orlovsky has any evidence of this, or is doing any "reporting'' here ... or if he is just ruling out the Panthers and Browns on his own because they are in sad-sack territory at this time.
In Cleveland, they have Deshaun Watson, now out for the year due to injury with his massive contract following a 2022 trade with Houston that hasn't worked out at all.
In Carolina, they have Bryce Young, just a few seasons into his NFL career after having been the No. 1 pick in his draft.
Cowboys owner Jerry Jones, surely in part simply interested in the publicity that stems from being attached to the story, has suggested that Shedeur is good enough to be the No. 1 pick ... the sort of comment that has led to some observers wondering if Shedeur (and for that matter, "Coach Prime'') could land with the Dak Prescott-led Cowboys.
For Deion's part, he's been quoted as saying (of Shedeur and fellow Buffs star Travis Hunter, "I know where I want them to go. ... So, it's certain cities that ain't gonna happen. It's gonna be 'an Eli.'''
It's not exactly clear how the Sanders family would pull this off. But Deion has been a trend-setter for the entirety of his career. So he surely won't shy away from trying.
