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Will Shedur Sanders pull an Eli Manning in next year’s draft?

Originally posted on Dice City Sports
By Dominique Campbell | Last updated Nov 15, 2024 5:19 PM ET

Suppose you were around in the year 2004. In that case, you might remember someone named Eli Manning, son of New Orleans Saints great, Archie Manning, from the University of Mississippi, originally being drafted by the San Diego Chargers.

Before any contract was ever signed, phone calls were made & before the second round of the NFL Draft even started, Eli Manning was on his way to the bright lights and the big city to be the starting quarterback for the New York Giants. That quick trade seemed to work out quite nicely, setting Manning up with two Super Bowl rings.

Like most football fans, you may have been keeping up with college football, the ever-changing rankings, and who’s looking at who will be drafted in next year’s NFL Draft in April. You have already heard the whispers about the possibility of several NFL teams being lucky enough to draft Colorado Buffalos star QB and son of Coach Deion Sanders, Shedur.

But one begs to question, are Deion Sanders and Shedur pulling an Eli Manning-style draft finesse? One would even go a step further to put him in the same vein as Lebron James and Bronny.

On Shannon Sharpe’s podcast, “Night Cap”, Deion Sanders addressed the rumors about Shedur’s draft situation. Sanders said, “[I’ll pull an] Eli, a Lavar Ball, a LeBron (James) … I’m pulling all of them. Honestly, we’ve talked about it ostensibly, I’ve talked to a multitude of (NFL) teams because they’re at practice every day, but I want what’s best for him, but I want him to be happy as well.”

Colorado football coach Deion Sanders looks on against Texas Tech in a Big 12 football game Saturday, Nov. 9, 2024, at Jones AT&T Stadium.

In the same interview, Coach Prime expressed that “You don’t really get to dictate where your son gets to go because there’s a draft process, but you know us, you know how we are. We know who ain’t trying to win in the NFL, you know who’s consistently in the basement year after year. You don’t want that situation for your kid or your family members.”—A parent who just wants to set up the best career situation for his son.

Coach Sanders has mentioned that he doesn’t want Shedur just playing for any team. Shedur Sanders has a high draft stock. Most NFL experts are predicting that he’ll go in the first round and be the overall No. 1 pick. But when you consider how the draft often looks, it’s almost always the teams with the top sports that need a young quarterback. In the 2025 draft, the top teams seem to be the Las Vegas Raiders, Cleveland Browns, Carolina Panthers, Tennessee Titans, and the New York Giants.

The younger Sanders may be a great fit for the Raiders them in next year’s draft and both Sanders seem to have developed a relationship with ownership. The Raiders are young and are rebuilding their offense. Another team in the mix could be the Dallas Cowboys. With the woes of current Dallas quarterback Dak Prescott, the Cowboys may have also entered the chat for both Deion and Shedur.

You can call it nepotism, or you can call it the Eli Manning finesse, but you can’t knock Deion Sanders for trying to set Shedur up for success. It’ll be interesting to see how this all plays out next April.

This article first appeared on Dice City Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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