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Shedeur Sanders may not be 'allowed' to his preferred NFL team and draft night could turn ugly

It would set up a battle with Deion Sanders

Shedeur Sanders may not be 'allowed' to  his preferred NFL team and draft night could turn ugly
Lapresse

Shedeur Sanders is among the most-hyped NFL quarterback prospects in recent memory. The Colorado signal-caller did no harm to his chances of being selected #1 overall in the 2025 NFL Draft by leading the Buffaloes to a 9-4 record and an appearance in the Alamo Bowl -- but it is far from clear where he will land come April.

Shedeur's father, Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee Deion Sanders, has indicated time and time again that he will exercise significant control over where the 22-year-old will begin his NFL career. Deion, who coached Shedeur at Colorado and Jackson State University before that, does not want his son going to an unstable organization that does not win consistently -- and as the landscape entering the draft becomes clearer, Deion and the team picking #1 overall are set for a massive showdown that could change the future of pro football.

Titans imply they want Shedeur

For the first time since 1978, the Tennessee Titans hold the #1 overall pick in the NFL Draft. The Titans have long needed a franchise quarterback -- and as luck would have it, there are a couple signal-callers who might fit that description waiting atop the 2025 draft board.

Chad Brinker, the Titans' president of football operations, told reporters during a Wednesday press conference that he does not want to let this opportunity slide -- after all, healthy organizations rarely pick #1 overall, and Tennessee's roster is considered one of the worst in the NFL. Brinker told the media that he plans to sanction the selection of a "generational talent" at #1 overall, a description that has been used on each of Shedeur Sanders, his Colorado teammate Travis Hunter, and University of Miami quarterback Cam Ward.

The Titans' need for a star quarterback is so intense that Nashville is viewed as an unlikely destination for two-way star Hunter, who won the Heisman Trophy in December. That means the choice would come down to Ward or Sanders, and it is not believed that Deion would permit Shedeur to Tennessee, given the franchise's instability and presence in a smaller market compared to New York or Las Vegas -- where it has been heavily rumored that Shedeur wants to play.

But until draft night, all we have to work on is speculation and limited intel as teams like the Titans do their homework and try to make the best choice possible.

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