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.
He’s a versatile and physical safety whose journey to the professional ranks showcases his resilience and determination to carve out a legacy of his own.
Shilo Sanders’ Background and College Career
Sanders played at Trinity Christian High School in Cedar Hill, TX. From 2019-2020 he played for the South Carolina Gamecocks, appearing in 13 games and recording 34 tackles and one pass deflection.
He transferred to Jackson State before the 2021 season to play for his father, Deion Sanders. In 2021 he earned Second Team All-SWAC honors with 39 tackles and four interceptions. However, he was limited to seven games in 2022 because of an ACL injury.
He transferred to Colorado with his father and his brother Shedeur in 2023 and had his best season. He led the team with 70 tackles, four forced fumbles, and an 80-yard interception return for a touchdown. He missed three games with a broken forearm in 2024, but he still rang up 55 tackles, one sack, and a forced fumble.
He finished his college career with 52 games played, 218 tackles, six interceptions, seven forced fumbles, one sack, and 17 total passes defended.
Sanders was considered a fringe prospect to be drafted, mainly because of his injury history. His ACL issues and broken forearm took away chunks of important seasons for him.
He’s known for his aggressive style of play and excels in run support with big, hard hits. He’s very versatile and can play both deep safety and in the box. He’s got a high football IQ and despite criticism about Deion Sanders’ brash personality, no one can deny that he doesn’t coach his players, even his own sons, well and hard.
Shilo also displayed a nose for the ball by forcing fumbles, securing interceptions, and contributing to big defensive momentum shifts.
Sanders needs to improve his coverage skills. He may be a ballhawk, but he needs to refine and hone his man-on-man technique to match up against NFL receivers. And while he’s a big hitter, he sometimes relies on those big hits instead of fundamental tackling, which can lead to missed opportunities that can be cleaned up with some patience and maturity.
Despite a fairly productive college career, Sanders did go undrafted. Some of it was the aforementioned injury concerns, but he also didn’t have elite athletic testing numbers. He wasn’t invited to the NFL Scouting Combine and instead organized a Pro Day at the University of Colorado.
He reportedly ran a 4.52 40-yard dash, had a 9-foot-5-inch broad jump, and weighed in at 6’0″, 195 pounds. He didn’t participate in the bench press or vertical jump.
A professional career is not out of the question for Sanders. His physical style of play and intelligence give him a good chance to land a special-teams role and be a rotational safety. Continued development of his coverage skills and maintaining his health will decide whether or not he can become a starter.