Defensive back and son of Colorado coach Deion Sanders, Shedeur Sanders, is the current betting favorite to be the first overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. If the season ended today, The Raiders would have the No. 2 pick. Deion thinks the Raiders would be a good place for his son.
At the Las Vegas event, Deion shared a stage with Raiders head coach Antonio Pierce, and when Sanders got the microphone, he praised Pierce before saying he’d like to see both Shedeur and Colorado defensive back Shilo Sanders play for the Raiders.
“You really are the best” Deion said to Pierce. “Now I need you to do one thing: I need you to draft those Sanders boys.
Shilo, who is two years older than Shedeur, is not considered an elite draft prospect. But Deion would certainly like to see a team draft Shedeur in the first round and also draft Shilo in the later round.
Players cannot control who drafts them, but a player can strongly encourage or strongly discourage certain teams if they have strong opinions about where they should play. And a player with a father who is very well connected in NFL circles is in a better position to identify players he is willing or unwilling to play for. And a player with family wealth is in a better position to use the leverage of sitting out a year and re-entering the draft the following year if he doesn’t like the team that drafted him.
All of these dynamics were in play when Eli Manning refused to go to the Chargers when they drafted him with the first overall pick in 2004 and took advantage of the trade with the Giants. A similar dynamic could come into play if Deion and Shedeur don’t like the team that ends up with the first overall pick in 2025. The Raiders would likely meet with Sanders’ approval.