Shedeur Sanders made his way to the NFL in one of the most talked-about draft stories of the year. The spotlight was on him from the start, since his dad, Deion Sanders, is a football legend. Being the son of a famous player brought extra attention and pressure.
That attention only grew when Sanders and his dad became a coach-and-quarterback pair in college. Sanders entered the draft as a top prospect, but a bumpy pre-draft process led to a surprising slide down the draft board. Former NFL quarterback Cam Newton talked about what this experience means for Sanders and his family.
Cam Newton on Deion Sanders’ Approach With Shedeur Sanders Going to the NFL
Deion Sanders, known as “Primetime,” was famous for his confidence and skill on the field. His bold personality made him stand out, and he always backed up his words with great play. That same confidence seems to have rubbed off on his son, Shedeur, who was seen as one of the best quarterback prospects in this year’s draft. But the way Sanders handled the pre-draft process, with his dad often in the spotlight too, made some teams nervous.
Newton, speaking on his YouTube show, explained that the move to the NFL is a big change for any player, and for Sanders, the pressure was even higher because of his family name. Newton said, “I have the utmost respect for Prime and the way the father has kind of engulfed his children in a way that we all, as parents, want to make sure that our children are protected and taken care of.”
Newton also talked about the challenges of being a quarterback and how important it is to be ready for the NFL. “But there’s also certain things that when you put a microscope to. Okay, you’re playing quarterback, okay, you’re going into this league, okay, you understand that how, you know, we’re doing certain things, there’s certain things that you got to incorporate, too,” Newton said.
During the pre-draft process, both Sanders and his dad made headlines for being confident, though some might say too confident. Old clips of Deion saying he would step in if a team he did not like drafted his son went viral.
Sanders himself said he was interviewing teams just as much as they were interviewing him. This attitude did not sit well with everyone, and even though Sanders was seen as the second-best quarterback in the class by many, he was picked as the sixth quarterback in the draft, behind players like Cam Ward, Jaxson Dart, Tyler Shough, Jalen Milroe, and Dillon Gabriel.
Newton understands what Sanders is going through. “There is so much relatability to what Shedeur went through that I can relate to as well. Some people may not like you, they just don’t like you… And you got to be fine with that. You got to win in the NFL,” Newton added. “And, you know, as you’re going into a league where it’s like, yo, I’m going to win. Like, it’s everything is resume base.”
Right now, Sanders is in a battle for a spot on the Cleveland Browns roster. Reports about how he is doing in practice have been mixed. Some say he looks solid, while others say he is at the bottom of the depth chart. It is hard to see him getting a lot of playing time in 2025, and the Browns seem to be planning for the long term, which means both the team and Sanders will need to be patient.