From having a front row seat to his brother’s draft day debacle to going undrafted himself, the past few weeks have been nothing short of absolutely hectic for Shilo Sanders. Thankfully, he’s since been rewarded for his tenacity with a UDFA contract from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
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The self-confidence of the former Colorado Buffalo has remained intact, with it being put on full display during the latest installment of his personal vlog. The video, aptly titled I’m Officially Leaving Colorado… TAMPA Here I Come!, saw Sanders take one final lap around his team’s facilities prior to him heading south for warmer weather and better opportunities.
Of course, it wouldn’t be a Sanders production without a bit of friendly banter. After jokingly suggesting that his teammate was the best Australian football player in the world, Shilo then asked if he was the best black guy he knew.
“Nah, I think Coach Prime’s got that… You’re second.” His teammate jested. Given the pedigree of his Hall of Fame father, Shilo seemed to be more than content with coming in second to him. “I’ve got to be second-best, though,” he said.
However, he still believes that he can return punts just like his dad used to. The new Buccaneer gave his best attempt at replicating his father’s movements while fielding some balls from the jug machine prior to humorously winking at the camera and reminding everyone that he is, in fact, “Prime Time’s son, baby.”
Unfortunately for Shilo, he’ll likely never replicate his father’s special-teams success in the NFL. Throughout his 14-year NFL career, the former Atlanta Falcon fielded 212 total punt returns.
Sanders’ six career punt-return touchdowns rank ninth overall for the most in NFL history. He even managed to lead the league in return yards in 1992, solidifying his place as one of the best returners to ever play the game.
Shilo Sanders receives advice from former Tampa Bay Buccaneer
In making an honest effort to be the best Buccaneer that he can possibly be, Sanders took the time to chat with one of their former players, Zach Triner. While Sanders made sure to ask about everything from neighborhood recommendations to which restaurants he should visit first, the former long snapper did his best to assure him that he would be joining a quality organization.
“Jason [Licht] and those guys just do a good job at bringing in good people. So, that’ll be cool, you won’t have any jerks to deal with. It’ll be fun, you’ll like it.”
Seeing as Triner initially joined Tampa Bay as an undrafted free agent as well, his words likely carried an extra bit of weight with Sanders. Nevertheless, he’ll have to find out for himself as his bags are already packed and on their way to the airport.
Not much is to be expected from Sanders as a defender in year one. An impressive performance throughout the summer will be his immediate priority for now, as both he and his brother are currently fighting for the right to prove that they belong in the NFL.
