INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Shedeur Sanders thrived in his father's offensive system in high school and emerged as one of college football's top quarterbacks while playing for him at Jackson State and Colorado.
Now, for the first time, the younger Sanders is about to be on his own, likely learning his next destination during Thursday's first round of the NFL draft.
Sanders is the highest-touted guy in this year's class of legacy players — those with relatives who also competed at the pro level — and it wasn't just his dad propelling him toward the big stage. Sanders also may be the most connected draft prospect in history.
“A couple years ago, he (Tom Brady) extended his hand. He was like, ‘Come work out with me in Tampa,’” Shedeur Sanders said, describing his friendship with the seven-time Super Bowl champion. “So we flew down there, dad came and we rode with him. He took me in his truck to this field, this high school field. From then on, he would just tell me knowledge, and I filmed everything,”
Sanders has worked with six different offensive coordinators including Colorado's current coordinator Pat Shurmur, the former New York Giants coach, and bounced questions and ideas off his father's staff — many of whom have NFL ties.
And while some question how well Sanders may do without his father's presence, Shedeur Sanders already has a solid understanding of the expectations.
“I’m truly thankful my dad was able to assemble the staff he was able to assemble because it’s knowledge everywhere,” Sanders said. “We’re able to talk to the running back coach, receiver coaches, defensive coordinators, all these different types of coaches to give you their perspective on what you need to improve on and grow at. So I’m realistic, I know what I need to improve on,”
Here are some other names to watch this weekend:
Mason Taylor, TE, LSU
Taylor's bloodlines may run even deeper than Sanders' because he has two Hall of Fame relatives — his father, Jason, and his uncle, Zach Thomas, longtime teammates with the Miami Dolphins.
While both excelled on defense, Taylor has carved out his niche on offense by setting Tigers career records for receptions (129) and yards receiving (1,308) by a tight end.
“I think it comes pretty naturally,” Taylor said when asked about his work ethic. “With hard work and having a JUGS machine at home throughout high school, you're getting catches (every) day on that. Working hard in practice at LSU. It's really just hard work and finding a routine that works for you.”
Howard Cross III, DT, Notre Dame
Even before finishing as last year's college football runner-up, everyone seemed to know his name because of his father — a Super Bowl-winning tight end with the New York Giants.
But at 6-foot-1, 285 pounds, the younger Cross looks like a natural on the defensive line. He returned to college last season after earning second-team Associated Press All-America honors in 2023 and was a first-team AP preseason All-American. But he missed the final three regular-season games with a sprained ankle then returned for Notre Dame's playoff run to the national championship game.
Ozzy Trapilo and Drew Kendall , OL, Boston College
Meet the draft's second-generation teammates whose fathers also played offensive line at Boston College before making their way to the NFL.
Trapilo's late father, Steve, was a 1986 second-team AP All-American, who played five seasons in the league — all with the New Orleans Saints. Steve Trapilo died in 2004.
Kendall's father, Pete, was Seattle's first-round pick in 1996 and made four stops in his 13-year career.
And, they're from the same neighborhood.
“We grew up a couple of houses down from one another, we played in sixth grade together,” Trapilo said “There was a connection that formed when we were really young. We went to different high schools, so we got distanced a little bit, and then came back together in college. We have a very close relationship. We’re good friends outside football, and that obviously helps when you play on the same offensive line.”
Luke Lachey, TE, Iowa
Somehow, Lachey managed to escape the pull of his family's deep Ohio State roots to join tight end-rich Iowa.
Older football fans may remember Lachey's father, Jim, as a mauling three-time Pro Bowler who helped anchor Washington's “Hogs” in their third Super Bowl run. He played 11 seasons in the NFL, authored a book and has served as the color analyst on Ohio State football radio broadcasts since 1997.
But Lachey didn't just get here simply by watching his father's game tape.
“I try to watch as much as I can. Sometimes it's hard. It's on a VHS tape,” he said of his father's film. “So sometimes it's more difficult. I've heard a lot of stories. Hearing the stories is really cool for me, especially from people I've met.”
Demetrius Knight Jr., LB, South Carolina
It took six college seasons and three universities for Knight to reach the cusp of his dream career, but he may be about to add a new chapter to the family celebrity history.
Knight's cousin, DeAngelo Hall, was the No. 8 overall draft pick in 2004 and made three Pro Bowl appearances in a 14-year career that included a league record-tying four-interception game against the Chicago Bears in 2010. After playing for Atlanta, Oakland and Washington, he spent two seasons as an assistant coach with Carolina.
But Hall isn't even the most famous of Knight's family. He also lists superstar singers Gladys Knight and Aretha Franklin as distant cousins.
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