Deion Sanders Challenged By Colin Cowherd Over Son Shedeur’s NFL Fit

Colin Cowherd talked about Deion saying that his son and former Colorado Buffaloes quarterback Shedeur Sanders was contacted by Eagles and Ravens before the draft. Deion didn't wan't them to take Shedeur.

“We officially have it; why Shedeur Sanders dropped like a rock in the draft and ended up going in the fifth round with the Cleveland Browns where he’s now splitting scout team duties with Bailey Zappe,” Cowherd said. “Deion Sanders admitted the Eagles and the Ravens called his son before the draft,  but he didn’t want to be a long-term backup.”

The Eagles and Ravens are both set at the starting quarterback position for the forceable future with Jalen Hurts and Lamar Jackson . Hurts is coming off a season where he helped lead the Eagles to a Super Bowl victory and won Super Bowl MVP. Lamar Jackson is a two-time NFL MVP and nearly won his third last season. Hurts is 27 years old while Jackson is 28. Shedeur would be sitting behind both of them if he was selected there.

“Deion is quoted as saying ‘I never sat on the bench and learned a lot. Who learned sitting on the bench?’ Cowherd said, quoting Deion. “Oh I don’t know, Aaron Rodgers, (Tom) Brady, Jordan Love, Brock Purdy, Phillip Rivers behind (Drew) Brees, Patrick Mahomes behind Alex Smith, Jalen Hurts.”

Cowherd doesn’t believe that Deion should be the example because he personally didn’t learn form sitting on the bench. 

“With Deion it’s ‘I never,’ this isn’t about you, Primetime. Your son doesn’t have primetime talent,” Cowherd said. “He’s an after school special, you were a primetime talent. Totally different ballgame…This is insane.”

Cowherd’s point was that Shedeur isn’t the player that Deion was and therefor, some more instruction from a couple of the best organizations and quarterbacks would help him in the long run. He even cited Patrick Mahomes talking about how much sitting behind Alex Smith for a season with the Kansas City Chiefs helped him out in the long run. Mahomes is of course now one of the greatest quarterbacks to ever play even though he just turned 30 years old days ago. 

Shedeur Sanders's Stunning Fall in 2025 NFL Draft

Shedeur Sanders falling in the 2025 NFL Draft was a stunning development. He was coming off a 2024 season with the Colorado Buffaloes where he won Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year in Colorado's nine-win season. Nearly every draft expert had Sanders going in the first or second round. 

He wasn’t even the first Browns quarterback selected as Cleveland took Dillon Gabriel in the third round; two rounds before Shedeur. The rookie Sanders now finds himself as the Browns third string quarterback behind Joe Flacco and Dillon Gabriel.