Deion Sanders: Shedeur 'Probably' Would've Been 2nd QB Selected in 2024 NFL Draft

Colorado football head coach and Pro Football Hall of Famer Deion Sanders believes his son, Buffaloes quarterback Shedeur Sanders, would have been the second signal-caller taken in the 2024 NFL draft had he declared.

"He wouldn't have been the first quarterback off the board," Sanders said Wednesday, per David Ubben of The Athletic.

"I think he had the ability but he probably would have been the second quarterback off the board."

At this point, all signs point to USC's Caleb Williams being the first quarterback (and first player) off the board to the Chicago Bears. LSU's Jayden Daniels, UNC's Drake Maye and Michigan's J.J. McCarthy are widely projected to go high, with Daniels and Maye the frontrunners jostling to be QB2.

However, Sanders is confident that spot would have been Shedeur's if he went pro.

"The only reason I know that, don't you think I know people in the NFL?" Sanders said.

"I'm sorry, I played for how many years, 14? Got a gold jacket at the crib, I think. I think I know some people. Jerry Jones. Arthur Blank. I know some people in the game. Roger Goodell. So when I speak I'm not just throwing stuff out of my head. I'm throwing stuff based on knowledge. So let's just get that straight."

Sanders, who transferred to CU after two years at Jackson State, completed 69.3 percent of his passes for 3,230 yards and 27 touchdowns for the Buffaloes last season.

Sanders agreed with his father's sentiment during an appearance on Super Bowl radio row.

"I'm biased, but I don't see a quarterback that's better than me," Sanders said, per SI's Tom Bierberger.

"I don't see a quarterback that went through as much adversity as me, that had four [offensive coordinators] in four years.

"Coming from an HBCU, coming to a Power Five [program], having real pressure on me. A lot of people don't understand, that's a lot more adversity than you think just even being the son of Deion Sanders."

Sanders certainly had a tremendous amount of pressure on him as Colorado entered the national spotlight. While the team didn't fare well (4-8, 1-8 in Pac-12), Sanders was sensational under figurative and literal pressure (52 sacks taken).

"You put any of those guys in [my] situation, they're not doing that," Sanders said.

"I respect their game, I respect what they're doing because to be able to be a first-round draft pick, to be able to have success on the field, it takes a lot of hard work and determination and everything.

"But the most pressure and the safest bet is me."

ESPN's Matt Miller reported in December that "many NFL scouts agree the Colorado quarterback is right below Williams and Maye." Miller notably had Sanders third as well.

Josh Tolle of Buffs Beat noted other scouts and analysts had Sanders third in the 2024 class, including ESPN's Mel Kiper Jr.

However, Sanders isn't going anywhere as he gets set to return to Colorado. He could very well be the top quarterback in the 2025 class, though, with no one signal-caller standing out among the rest thus far. Notable prospects include Sanders, Georgia's Carson Beck and Miami's Cameron Ward, among others.