There are many benefits to having Deion Sanders as your head coach. One prominent one is the advice you receive when you decide to enter the NFL Draft.
While the Hall of Fame cornerback is still relatively new to the coaching scene, he doesn’t automatically tell his players to skip their education and play professional football.
“Well, if they don’t like school, they need to go, because I don’t want them affecting our APR,” Sanders said during his weekly press conference for the Colorado Buffaloes.
“That’s number one. Secondly, if they have a good shot at going to the NFL, but it could increase if they stayed, I’m going to give them that wisdom. I’m going to put them in front of a multitude of scouts and people that [have] the resources to give them the truth about where they stand. But you got to understand, you got to really take in consideration who that person is.”
Sanders’ talents were unheard of when he appeared at the 1989 NFL Scouting Combine. His 40-yard dash was hand-timed at 4.27 and 4.29 seconds. This was a few years after the two-sport star was drafted by the Kansas City Royals in Major League Baseball.
During the NFL Draft, however, Sanders made an impression on the New York Giants quickly. He recalled the team sitting him down and handing him a book that was thicker than a phone book. It was a test they gave the players.
“I said, I’ll be gone before then,” he accounted. “I ain’t got no time for this.”
He was known for his versatility on the field, but what he did for the cornerback position altered the NFL in a great way. He showed that position deserves to be paid. During an era where the quarterback was the sole star.
Knowing how to handle the combine, media, and pressure makes him a perfect ally for those undecided on their football future.
Prior to his head coaching gig at Colorado, Sanders was the head coach at Jackson State. He told a story about one of his players that didn’t take his advice.
“We had a person at Jackson that could, I promise you, if he would have came here with us, he probably would have been [a] second through fourth-round pick, by all means,” Sanders said. “But he didn’t enjoy school, so he wanted to do his thing. So you really got to understand who a person is. But I’m going to give him the truth, the adulted truth. I’m going to really tell them like it is, but I’m going to try to urge them to go in the right direction. But then, the choice is ultimately up to them. Good question, though, man.”
[On3.com]
