Shilo Sanders, son of Hall of Famer Deion Sanders, has signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as an undrafted free agent following the 2025 NFL Draft. Deion personally reached out to Buccaneers head coach Todd Bowles to express his gratitude for giving his son an opportunity.
As it turns out, the Bucs head coach had been keeping an eye on Shilo and wanted to see how things would shake out.
Why Did Buccaneers HC Todd Bowles Take a Chance on Shilo Sanders?
Bowles went on SiriusXM NFL Radio on Monday to talk about the 25-year-old hard-hitting safety.
“He’s a heck of a tackler and he knows the game very well; he can see the game very well,” Bowles explained. “So giving him a chance to play, we think he has a shot to help us from a safety standpoint and from a special teams standpoint. So I’m excited to get him in here and see how he moves.
“I saw him tackle all year. I saw him make plays. He’s a very smart player and he understands the game very well. So we thought it was worth a shot to see what he can do. And I think he’ll show himself well.”
Big hits and tackles pop off the screen for Sanders. Over his college career, he played in 52 games, accumulating 217 tackles, six interceptions, seven forced fumbles, one sack, and 13 passes defended.
Sanders’ playing style draws comparisons to a safety like Adrian Phillips, who, despite going undrafted in 2014, carved out a successful NFL career with the Chargers and Patriots, earning Pro Bowl and All-Pro honors in 2018.
Sanders faces the challenge of transitioning from college to the professional level, but his physical attributes and football intelligence provide a foundation for development. His immediate impact may come on special teams, with the potential to evolve into a rotational safety as he hones his coverage skills and maintains his health.
The 25-year-old, 6-foot, 195-pound safety reportedly ran a 4.52 40-yard dash at his Colorado Pro Day and is considered a physical, downhill tackler with a strong presence in run support. He’s a versatile defender who can play deep safety and in-the-box roles. Most importantly, he has a very high football IQ with good instincts in zone coverage.
What will decide his NFL future is whether or not he can refine his man-to-man coverage techniques. And while he is a big hitter, he needs to clean up his technique and not opt for big hits over proper form.
Now that Shilo Sanders has a head coach’s interest in developing him, he has an opportunity to be a special teams player and rotational safety.