Colorado Buffaloes' Shilo Sanders Makes Late Pitch To NFL Teams Ahead Of Draft

In a late pitch to teams ahead of the NFL Draft, former Colorado Buffaloes safety Shilo Sanders pointed out that he and former teammate Cam'Ron Silmon-Craig produced a high number of turnovers during their careers in Boulder and with the Jackson State Tigers.

Oct 19, 2024; Tucson, Arizona, USA; Colorado Buffalos safety Shilo Sanders (21) against the Arizona Wildcats at Arizona Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images / Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

As the NFL Draft approaches and his draft stock remains in question, former Colorado Buffaloes safety Shilo Sanders pointed out a possibly overlooked aspect of his game.

The graduate student utilized X on Tuesday to share a graphic that ranked him fourth in career turnovers created (interceptions, fumble recoveries and forced fumbles) among safeties in this year's draft class. In two seasons at Jackson State and two at Colorado, Sanders recorded six interceptions, seven forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries, equating to 15 career turnovers created.

Sanders' most notable turnover created came during the 2023 season when he returned an interception for a touchdown against Colorado State.

Sep 16, 2023; Boulder, Colorado, USA; Colorado Buffaloes safety Shilo Sanders (21) runs for a touchdown after making an interception against the Colorado State Rams during the first half at Folsom Field. Mandatory Credit: Andrew Wevers-Imagn Images / Andrew Wevers-Imagn Images

Turnovers win games
Somebody’s getting a dawg this week ! Believe That pic.twitter.com/Ihvl6YJEm3

— Shilo Sanders (@ShiloSanders) April 22, 2025

"My selling point to teams and why they should draft me? If you want a safety that's going to play like a safety, that's going to be physical, be a leader in the secondary, take coaching, be an extension of the defensive coordinator, do my job and everything I'm supposed to do, then I'm the guy," Sanders said following Colorado's pro day earlier this month.

Fellow former Jackson State/Colorado safety Cam'Ron Silmon-Craig ranked fifth with 14 career turnovers forced, although that may be shorting the overlooked draft prospect. According to CU's official stats, Silmon-Craig had eight forced turnovers at Jackson State (five interceptions, one forced fumble, two fumble recoveries) and eight at Colorado (four interceptions, one forced fumble, three fumble recoveries) for a total of 16.

Silmon-Craig may not jump off the tape athletically, but his leadership skills and impressive college resume make him an intriguing draft prospect. Simply put, Colorado likely doesn't win nine games last season without Silmon-Craig guiding the secondary.

"My message to NFL teams is to watch the tape," Silmon-Craig said. "Go out there and watch the tape and you break me down as you break me down on the field. This offseason has just been work getting better at football for the most part. I've been trying to keep my mind on making sure I'm ready to play football. When I go into a camp or anything, I know I'm ready to play football. For the most part, I try not to get too thrown off, I'm just trying to play football and not turn into a track athlete or anything."

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Similar to Sanders, Silmon-Craig isn't guaranteed to hear his name called in the NFL Draft, but both will likely land somewhere as an undrafted free agent.

Oct 12, 2024; Boulder, Colorado, USA; Colorado Buffaloes safety Cam'Ron Silmon-Craig (7) celebrates after a defensive stop during the second half against the Kansas State Wildcats at Folsom Field. Mandatory Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel-Imagn Images / Christopher Hanewinckel-Imagn Images

"I just told a scout, he's asking me about unsung heroes, I said 'Cam's the kind of kid if you allow him, if you draft him, he's not going to get cut,'" Colorado coach Deion Sanders said. "He's not going to allow you to cut him. He's going to play special teams, he's going to do this, he's going to do that, and he's going to consistently show up on film.'"

Sanders and Silmon-Craig both took part in the Buffs' pro day on April 4. Shilo clocked a 4.52-second 40-yard dash while Silmon-Craig topped out at 4.65.

The 2025 NFL Draft runs from Thursday through Saturday in Green Bay, Wisconsin.

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