There’s no doubt that Shedeur Sanders inherited the legendary cunning from his father, Deion Sanders. The former Colorado Buffaloes quarterback is trying to improve his chances of landing on his dream team in the 2025 NFL Draft, using some unorthodox tactics involving none other than the legendary Tom Brady.
When the 2024-2025 NCAA season ended, Shedeur was a top contender to be the No. 1 overall pick in 2025. However, as the weeks passed, Sanders’ draft stock has taken some serious hits, and it looks like it could drop even further.
Early projections had Sanders going in the top three picks in the draft. However, the latest mock drafts put him considerably lower. ESPN’s Field Yates expects Sanders to go sixth, while CBS Sports’ Tom Fornelli has him projected as the 22nd pick.
Shedeur and the Brady connection
The younger Sanders’ comments during the NFL Combine have not helped his situation either. In a meeting with the media during the event at Lucas Oil Stadium, Shedeur warned, “If that’s not what you’re trying to do, don’t get me. If you ain’t trynna change the franchise or the culture, don’t get me.”
The comment seems to have a dual intention of alienating some teams that want him and attracting the attention of one franchise in particular, the Las Vegas Raiders. Since the draft race began, Shedeur has not stopped praising seven-time Super Bowl champion Tom Brady, who also happens to be a minority shareholder in the Raiders.
Much has been said about the influence Brady will have on the Raiders in the years to come. It seems that the former New England Patriots star will have a big say in the team’s decisions, not only in terms of the franchise’s culture but in more practical decisions such as the selections in the next draft.
A hidden message for Brady and the Raiders?
It should be noted that the Raiders have the sixth overall selection in the next draft, and as Yates points out, the team would already have projected to select Shedeur. However, Sanders made it clear that he does not want to be selected so low. “That’s crap, bruh. I ain’t going sixth,” he said at the NFL Combine.
Is this a hint to Brady and the Raiders? Is Sanders asking the team to trade up to take him among the top draft picks? Doing something like this would be a gamble worthy of any table in the Las Vegas casinos, and nobody knows if Brady and owner Mark Davis are willing to bet so high.
