It was a busy Friday afternoon in Boulder, Colo., where hundreds of media members and NFL personnel descended on the Colorado Buffaloes practice facility for the Buffs' "Colorado Showcase." The New Orleans Saints were only lightly represented by a couple of position coaches -- Scott Tolzien (quarterbacks) and Keith Williams (wide receivers) -- but their presence didn't go unnoticed. Colorado head coach Deion Sanders shared some pointed commentary on the possibility of the Saints drafting his son Shedeur Sanders to play quarterback in Kellen Moore's offense.
On top of that, Sanders sat down for an interview with Field Yates and Louis Riddick on ESPN's SportsCenter after drills concluded to talk about his players' performance -- particularly first-round prospects Travis Hunter and Shedeur Sanders, both of whom should be picked top-five. And when discussing what kind of coach his son would best be partnered up with in the NFL, the archetype Sanders described sounds an awful lot like Kellen Moore.
"They need a relationship, they need someone that is not afraid to communicate with a young man to understand what he sees," Sanders began. "This is not a fool, this man done seen everything, so you gotta understand and be keen to what he sees as well, not just what you see. You gotta see this thing from both sides, because he's gonna elevate your program, or your franchise, if you guys can see things together."
Moore is a young man, too; he's the youngest head coach in the NFL and doesn't even turn 37 until July. He's also played quarterback in the NFL and knows how to see the game from inside that helmet. Sanders' point about a coach who can communicate with his players is important, and that's been one of Moore's biggest selling points. When he called plays for the Los Angeles Chargers a few years ago, veteran wideout Keenan Allen made sure everyone knew how much he appreciated Moore's willingness to listen and change his system when needed. Other young quarterbacks like Jalen Hurts, Justin Herbert, and Dak Prescott have enjoyed working with Moore, too.
Of course there are many coaches in the league who fit that description. Several of them own premium draft picks and would love to get Sanders in their building to help him reach his potential and win a lot of football games. The Saints are in the mix, too, but they would probably need to make a trade up from No. 9 to go get Sanders. At the same time, Moore skipping this pro day workout (while flying out to see many others just last week) might say something about his evaluation of the quarterback. Maybe he just isn't as high on Sanders as some would like to think.
Or maybe it's a smokescreen. Draft season is lying season, and we won't get a real answer one way or another until the 2025 draft kicks off in just a few weeks. But it's tough to look at the elder Sanders' take on how his son could best be set up for success and not consider the fit with New Orleans. Sanders' name alone would make him the most exciting draft pick the Saints have turned in since Reggie Bush arrived way back in 2006.
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