• Loading stock data...
Friday, September 12, 2025
Tuned In is Almost Sold Out! Limited Tickets Remain!

Deion Sanders: NFL Teams Manipulate Draft Positions

  • Coach Prime joined the ‘Front Office Sports Today’ podcast.
  • He dished on the current state of college football.
Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports

Deion Sanders shook up the college football world in his first year at the helm of the Colorado Buffaloes, and he’s only just getting started. Coach Prime joined the Front Office Sports Today podcast to discuss the state of college football and how, he says, NFL teams manipulate the draft behind the scenes.

On Nick Saban’s claim that college football is now about how much you can pay a player, not how well you can develop them

He’s accurate when it comes to a multitude of people. I don’t attract that type of player; I attract the type of player that wants to be great, that understands he has a window of opportunity, and he has to have a commitment to excellence. There are players who are playing for a bag, which, growing up in the environment, you can’t blame them. If you’re going to give up a bag, you’re going to have players playing for a bag. So I do understand it. I may not condone that as your focus, because I’ve always thought if you just focus on being great, the bag is gonna find you.

On the transfer portal

It’s just like somebody on a job on a 9-to-5 and you quit for an opportunity somewhere else. This is like you getting into the portal. If it’s good for the everyday man, I think it’s good for the collegiate athlete as well. 

On how NFL teams manipulate players’ draft positions

You have guys that are slated to go and slot it to go at this number pick. Randomly, something comes out that they flunked their drug tests, or they have this type of injury, or they were seen with this and wildly, their draft grade drops later in the round, or even the next round. How does that happen? How does that mysteriously come out right before the draft? That’s even more harsh [than players refusing to sign with teams], because now you’re affecting someone’s livelihood, and you’re putting a tremendous rumor on somebody that may not even be true. So that’s done every year. The reason I know is that I worked the draft for about 10 to 12 years straight. I know that to be true. 

Listen to the entire episode here and subscribe on Apple, Google, and Spotify

Linkedin
Whatsapp
Copy Link
Link Copied
Link Copied

What to Read

Massachusetts Sues Kalshi To Block Sports Prediction Markets

A lawsuit claims the company’s offerings are indistinguishable from traditional sports bets.

FanDuel, Jaguars Reach $5M Deal Over Employee Theft

A Jaguars employee stole $20 million and gambled much of it with FanDuel.
Charlie Kirk

NFL, Yankees Hold Moments of Silence for Charlie Kirk

The Green Bay moment was planned by the league.

Featured Today

Eagles-Chiefs Super Bowl Rematch Could Set More NFL Ratings Records

Fox will nationally televise Sunday afternoon’s matchup.
September 10, 2025

ESPN’s ‘MNF’ Ratings Up 8% As NFL Surges to Strong Start

ESPN posts its second-best Week 1 “Monday Night Football” audience.
Sep 7, 2025; Orchard Park, New York, USA; Buffalo Bills fans react during the fourth quarter against the Baltimore Ravens at Highmark Stadium.
September 9, 2025

As Bills Ascend, Their Next Frontier Lies in Canada

Buffalo and the powerful Canadian entity MLSE come together in a new pact.
opinion
September 9, 2025

The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly from NFL’s Week 1 Broadcasts

Many viewers decried the addition of ads to “NFL RedZone.”
Mar 4, 2025; Washington, DC, USA; House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., speaks with Rep. Marjorie Taylor-Greene, R-Ga., ahead of President Trump’s address to a joint session of Congress at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., on March 4, 2025.

House Republicans Delay SCORE Act Vote Tentatively Planned for Next Week

They didn’t believe they had enough votes to pass the bill.
Feb 17, 2024; Boise, Idaho, USA; Fresno State Bulldogs guard Jalen Weaver (5) during the first half against the Boise State Broncos at ExtraMile Arena.
September 10, 2025

NCAA Bans 3 Basketball Players for Violating Betting Rules Last Season

The former San Jose State and Fresno State players have lost eligibility.
Jan 25, 2023; Langley, British Columbia, CAN; Highlights from the CHL Kubota Top Prospects game at the Langley Events Centre
September 10, 2025

NCAA Hockey Scouts Denied Passes for Crucial Recruiting League

The CHL won’t welcome scouts on passes: “It comes across as petty.”
Sponsored

How World Series Champ Dexter Fowler Became a Premier League Team Owner

Dexter Fowler discusses navigating retirement and embracing new roles as an owner & investor.
NFL Congress
exclusive
September 10, 2025

College Sports ‘House of Cards’: Republicans, Lobbyists Work to Secure Votes to..

Several House Republicans criticized the SCORE Act on social media.
The cover of the College Football 25 video game.
exclusive
September 9, 2025

Group That Facilitated NIL Deal for Football Video Game Now Says It’s..

EA offered $1,500 and no royalties; it also deleted an opt-out clause.
Sep 6, 2025; Gainesville, Florida, USA; South Florida Bulls place kicker Nico Gramatica (7), South Florida Bulls long snapper Turner McLaughlin (48) and teammates celebrate after a game against the Florida Gators at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium.
September 8, 2025

USF Is the Newest Financial Underdog in the AP Top 25

USF’s athletic department brings in half the amount Florida does.
September 7, 2025

Oklahoma-Michigan Was a Battle of Dueling QB NIL Philosophies

Bryce Underwood got into a heated exchange with his teammate.