All eyes were on Shedeur Sanders and where he'd end up getting drafted this past weekend, but he wasn't the one in his household hoping to hear his name called. Lost in the chaos and drama of Shedeur's historic free fall was Shilo Sanders, who also declared for the NFL Draft this year after having played safety at Colorado.
With all of the hype around Shedeur and Travis Hunter last season, it was easy to forget that Shilo was also in the mix. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers didn't forget, though, signing Shilo to a deal after the draft as part of their impressive UDFA class.
Shilo comes to Tampa Bay with a ton of buzz given his family name, but he also helps potentially fill a need at safety. Heading into the camp portion of the offseason the Bucs are thin at the position, with Antoine Winfield Jr. being the only real option the team has.
That could change if Sanders can prove his worth at rookie minicamp and then again at training camp. When he arrives to OTAs, he won't be the only son of an NFL legend trying to make the Buccaneers' roster, though.
Buccaneers invite Mike Tomlin's son to rookie minicamp
Tampa Bay invited Boston College wide receiver Dino Tomlin to rookie minicamp, according to WTAE-TV Pittsburgh's Ashley Liotus. If that last name sounds familiar, it's beacuse Dino is the son of Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin.
It's not an official roster move, as unlike the deal with Sanders this isn't a contract. Tomlin has merely been invited to rookie minicamp, at which point he'll try to fight the uphill battle of earning a trip to training camp and an eventual spot on the Bucs' roster.
That's easier said than done, especially at a position as loaded as wide receiver.
Tampa Bay is already bringing four rookie receivers to camp, which brings the total number of players in the room into the double digits. Emeka Egbuka, the Bucs' first-round pick, is a lock to make the roster and has the inside track to be WR3 behind Mike Evans and Chris Godwin, while Jalen McMillan is slotted comfortably into the WR4 role.
Dino probably won't be battling for the WR5 role, although at that point the roster starts running out of room. Trey Palmer, Sterling Shepard, and Kam Johnson are all fighting for a roster spot with rookies Tez Johnson, Will Sheppard, and Garrett Greene all hoping to make the final 53-man roster as well.
The safety net is the practice squad, which Tez Johnson might have a spot locked up on if all goes well. That might be the ceiling for Dino Tomlin, but he'll be able to take his first steps somewhere in his football journey in a place his father once made a name for himself.
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