Shilo Sanders could be poised to make the Tampa Bay Buccaneers‘ 40-man roster for the 2025/26 NFL season as the 25-year-old safety continues to impress the team with his valiant work ethic.
The Colorado Buffaloes‘ alumni is the son of Deion Sanders, and one of Coach Prime‘s driving principles is making sure you put in the work on the football field. He does not like people who can’t pull their own weight.
That’s something passed onto Shilo and recognized by his teammates at the Raymond James Stadium in Florida, as he proves the fact that he went undrafted hasn’t fazed his outlook.
“He plays hard,” Antoine Winfield Jr., Bucs’ safety, said to reporters. “He works hard. “He really wants to learn and just wants to improve his game, and that’s something you admire for somebody who’s coming in, wants to learn and actually play the game.
“I’m sure he understands. I’m sure he grew up with it. He’s a great kid, works tremendously hard.”
Shilo Sanders: The steal of the 2025 NFL Draft?
Shilo has actually been considered a steal, despite going undrafted in 2025, thanks to those work values. He was likely overlooked by Tampa Bay’s competitors on the basis of his Folsom Field injury record and his tough time at the East-West Shrine Bowl.
Throughout his time in college, he made 217 tackles (160 solo) and averaged one sack per game. He also made six interceptions and returned them for 179 yards, including a touchdown and also made seven forced fumbles.
His talent made him a key component of the Buffaloes’ team, even though his brother, Shedeur, and the Heisman Trophy-winning Travis Hunter stole the limelight as the team made it to the Alamo Bowl in 2024.
In his pre-draft measurables, he weight in at 196lbs at 5ft 11in tall, with an arm length of 31 inches. He clocked the 40-yard dash in 4.52 seconds and made a 9ft 5in broad jump. He did not participate in the vertical jump.
According to ESPN, he is currently tipped to be fourth in the Bucs’ safety pecking order behind Christian Izien, Marcus Banks and J.J. Roberts, but he has time on his side as he looks to learn the ropes of the professional game throughout the 2025/26 NFL season.
“Like the rest of the safeties, he’s very intelligent,” coach Todd Bowles told ESPN. “He’s very loud.
“You can hear him today, making calls and everything, so he has a good grasp of things, Day 1.”
Fans will potentially get their first look at how Shilo performs on the field when the Tampa Bay Buccaneers take on the Atlanta Falcons on September 7 from 13:00 ET/10:00 PT at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in an all-NFC South match-up.
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