Why Buccaneers rookie Shilo Sanders views himself as an 'underdog'

Tampa Bay Buccaneers  safety Shilo Sanders understands the gravity of the situation he's in for on Saturday night. The Buccaneers' preseason finale against the Buffalo Bills is his last shot to prove he belongs on the 53-man roster.

Sanders spent six seasons at the college level before entering the NFL. The Buccaneers signed him as an undrafted free agent in April.

Per Jenna Laine of ESPN, Sanders called his situation this summer an "underdog story."

"This is an underdog story," Sanders said. "Everyone's seen how everything played out, and it is just relatable. People go through things, and you got to fight through it to come out on top. So I feel like a lot of people could relate to me."

Sanders spent two years at South Carolina before transferring to Jackson State to play for his father, Deion Sanders. Two seasons later, he transferred to Colorado with Deion and his brother, Shedeur Sanders.

Shilo finished his college career with 221 tackles, five tackles for loss, six interceptions and seven forced fumbles. The 6-foot, 196-pound athlete faced an uphill battle this summer to make the Buccaneers' 53-man roster as a 25-year-old rookie.

Earlier this week, Tampa Bay head coach Todd Bowles explained the situation at safety. The No. 4 safety position has a three-way race between Sanders, Kaevon Merriweather and Rashad Wisdom. 

Bowles noted Merriweather has the most experience and Wisdom knows the nickel, strong safety and free saf ety positions. But Sanders is hungry and can play special teams.

Saturday's game is crucial for evaluation.

"Shilo's very aggressive, very young, very hungry," Bowles said. "He can make plays in the box and we know he can run down and give us 100% on special teams, so this last week is going to be very important for those guys to show up."

Even if Sanders doesn't make the 53-man roster cut on Tuesday, the underdog story won't be over. He's more than proved he belongs in the league, even if he starts on the practice squad.

As injuries pile up during the course of an 18-week league season, Sanders will likely get a chance to have his name called up for a game.