Deion Sanders prayed this NFC team would draft Shedeur Sanders, laughed at idea of his son going to Browns

During an interview that took place before the 2025 NFL Draft, Deion Sanders had a very interesting reaction when he was asked about the possibility of his son, Shedeur Sanders, going to Cleveland, which is notable now, because that’s exactly where the former Colorado quarterback ended up. 

Back in March, Deion Sanders served as the keynote speaker at a conference held for ProMat. During the event, he was asked about his thoughts on the draft and the fact that both of his sons might get selected. 

 “I am excited about the potential of them going to the [NFL] and where they’re going to go,” Sanders said on March 19. 

On the other hand, the Colorado coach did admit that he was feeling a little nervous about the fact that he wasn’t going to be able to control where they might end up going in the draft. 

“We’ve been in control of everything in life now, [but] I can’t manipulate the draft,” Sanders said. “This is the first time we don’t have control, seriously. We can’t say what we want to do. In junior high, you go to a school you want to, in high school you go to what school you want to, in college you go to what school you want. Now, in the pros, they tell you where you’re going, and that’s tough.”

At that point, the man interviewing Sanders asked Deion where he wanted Shedeur to go. “If I say that, it’s going to go viral.”

The interviewer then specifically asked about the Browns, and here’s how that exchange went: 

Interviewer: “Cleveland?”
Deion: “What’d you say?”
Interviewer: “Cleveland?” 
Deion: Chuckles (The entire audience then laughs with him)
Deion: “We are praying for the Giants right now. Yes we are.”

When you chuckle at the idea of one team and say that you’re praying for another team, that makes it seem like Deion definitely had a preferred landing spot out of the teams picking at the top of the draft. 

This interview was held on March 19, which was before the Giants signed Russell Wilson (or Jameis Winston), so Deion’s feelings might have changed after those two signings. 

It’s also worth nothing that about a week after this interview took place (and after both Winston and Wilson had signed), Sanders seemed to backtrack on his comments by making it clear that Shedeur would be open to playing for anyone. 

“If it’s New York, it’s New York,” Deion said. “If it’s Tennessee, if it’s Cleveland, if it’s still the Raiders, if it’s New Orleans. If it’s any of those teams that are seeking a quarterback, I’m happy with it, man. Because I know what he’s going to do to the organization.”

Based on this conversation, it seems like Deion would have preferred that Shedeur did NOT end up in Cleveland, but he’s probably not going to be complaining considering how the draft went down. Shedeur fell all the way to the fifth round after being projected as a first-round pick. 

One reason Shedeur reportedly fell in the draft was because there were several teams he didn’t interview well with at the combine, including the Giants. If that’s the case, Shedeur may have blown any chance he had of landing in New York.