When you think of the Colorado Buffaloes and the last name Sanders, two come to mind: Deion, the head coach who had a prolific NFL career, and Shedeur, his son, who is the current quarterback and looking forward to embarking on a pro career of his own as a likely top-10 pick.
Deion has another son on the team, cornerback Shilo Sanders. Shilo followed in his father's footsteps as a defensive back and to Colorado. Shilo began his collegiate career at the University of South Carolina but transferred to Jackson State ahead of the 2021 season when his father took over as the team's head coach.
Shilo was with Deion and Shedeur at Jackson State through 2022, and the trio made the move to Colorado ahead of the 2023 season when Deion accepted the head coaching job of the Buffaloes.
Here's what you need to know about Shilo's draft prospects as Colorado prepares for a showdown with Nebraska.
MORE: Travis Hunter Week 1 performance | Shedeur Sanders draft projection
When is Shilo Sanders eligible for the NFL Draft?
The 24-year-old safety will celebrate his 25th birthday ahead of the 2025 NFL Draft. After five seasons out of high school, Sanders has long been eligible for the NFL Draft but elected to return to Colorado, using additional eligibility years provided by COVID-19.
He redshirted his freshman year at South Carolina, so that avenue for gaining an extra year has been used. Sanders is expected to declare for the 2025 NFL Draft at the end of his final season at Colorado.
Will Shilo Sanders be drafted?
There were times that Sanders had a chance to be the third Buffalo drafted in the first round in 2025, joining Shedeur and star two-way player Travis Hunter. Shilo has yet to maintain his teammates' success and has fallen down draft boards.
Sanders wasn't included in the most recent first-round mock drafts by Sporting News' Vinnie Iyer or ESPN's Matt Miller. While it is still early, Shilo has been projected as a fifth-round pick heading into Week 2 of the 2024 college football season.
Shilo Sanders stats
| School | Tackles | Forced Fumbles | Interceptions |
| South Carolina | 33 | 0 | 0 |
| Jackson State | 17 | 1 | 5 |
| Colorado | 76 | 4 | 1 |
| Total | 126 | 5 | 6 |
Shilo Sanders legal trouble
Sanders got into trouble when he was in high school for attacking a security officer. The incident occurred in 2015, and the officer, John Darjean, said that after he confronted Sanders about disrupting a class, the 15-year-old hit Darjean with his elbow and then continued to hit him while the officer was on the ground. It took six years to go to trial, but Sanders didn't appear, and a default judgment was rendered against Sanders in the form of $11.89 million.
The case is ongoing, however, as Sanders has since filed for bankruptcy, which led to Darjean accusing him of transferring NIL money into a company account to avoid having the assets to pay Darjean. This is a situation that could affect his draft stock, not because he won't have the money to pay Darjean, but because it would be an off-the-field distraction teams likely won't want to deal with.
