The Tampa Bay Buccaneers may have the most popular collection of undrafted free agents in the NFL at the moment. On top of the fact that 430-pound defensive tackle Desmond Watson is trying to stick in the pros, safety Shilo Sanders wants to show Todd Bowles that he can also play at a high level.
While Shilo has nowhere near the hype of Cleveland Browns quarterback Shedeur Sanders, as the former projected first-round pick ended up falling all the way until the fifth round was the marquee story of the NFL Draft, Sanders was a reliable starting safety alongside his younger brother and father Deion Sanders at Colorado.
Sanders has wasted no time in proving that he isn't just being given this opportunity because of his last name. Star safety Antoine Winfield Jr, the de facto leader of the entire secondary, knows what Sanders has to go through being the son of a great NFL defensive back. Winfield thinks Sanders has the right mentality to succeed despite that pressure.
"He plays hard, he works hard," Winfield Jr. said in an interview. "He really wants to learn and improve his game, so that's something that you really admire from someone coming in who wants to learn and actually play this game."
Bucs star Antoine Winfield Jr. praises UDFA rookie Shilo Sanders
While Antoine Winfield Sr. wasn't the same type of player Deion Sanders was, the former Minnesota Vikings star made multiple Pro Bowls and put a target on his sons back when he entered the pros. Winfield managed to overcome that pressure, and he thinks Sanders can as well.
Sanders was never a showstopping player in college, especially after injuries blunted his momentum and the hype his younger brother brought with him overshadowed everything No. 21 was doing. However, he put enough good reps on tape to warrant some consideration from Tampa Bay.
Sanders may have picked a good spot out of the UDFA miasma. The Buccaneers may have used two Top 100 picks on rookie defensive backs in Benjamin Morrison and Jacob Parrish, but the non-Winfield secondary remains average. Safety is an especially thin area for Tampa Bay.
Sanders faces long odds of making the final 53-man roster, but a strong OTA performance might be enough to get him in the mix for a practice squad role. Considering the trials and tribulations that he has been through in his college career, grinding it out to the point where he can achieve that would be a huge success story.