Shilo Sanders knows he can't escape his last name.
But he also knows that won't be what makes the difference in his NFL success from this point on.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers rookie went undrafted out of Colorado, and now he's trying to embrace whatever role he can get.
That factors into his rookie season goal, too. Sanders wants to be an All-Pro selection -- as a special teams player.
“I want to be All-Pro special teams,” Sanders told The Athletic. “Show the coaches I could play, and that I play hard and be physical and earn their trust, make it on the field (defensively) one day.”
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That's very self-aware to recognize that right now, that's the spot Sanders has been given to make an impact.
There are notable players across the NFL who started just as special teams guys only to become strong performers at their main defensive positions. Colts linebacker Zaire Franklin was one of those, a core special teamer out of Syracuse who is now one of the top tacklers in the league playing every defensive snap.
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As part of this preseason feature story, Sanders was also asked about what it's like to be compared, or not compared, to his famous father, Deion.
“I can’t be my dad. Everyone’s different,” he said. “Everything is different. It’s not 1995 anymore. It’s 2025. So even if I did every little thing like my dad, I still wouldn’t be him.”
Like his brother Shedeur, Shilo seems to genuinely understand his position on his NFL team and how he's meant to approach things. It gives him a legitimate chance to be successful.
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