The Elmira connection is about as strong as it gets for potential NFL first-round draft pick Shedeur Sanders given that he grew up in Texas.
Sanders, 23, is widely known as the son of Pro Football Hall of Famer Deion Sanders, his head coach the past two seasons at the University of Colorado and before that at Jackson State.
Shedeur’s mom is Elmira native Pilar (Biggers) Sanders, a 1992 graduate of Elmira Free Academy who was married to Deion from 1999 to 2013.
Pilar’s other son, Shilo Sanders, is a safety who played at the University of Colorado and could join his younger brother in getting drafted this week. Pilar’s daughter, Shelomi Sanders, played this past season for the Alabama A&M women’s basketball team.
Shedeur comes off a 2024 season in which he completed 74% of his 477 passes for 4,134 yards and 37 touchdowns. In 2023, he completed 69% of his passes while throwing for 27 touchdowns and three interceptions.
He has been projected by draft prognosticators anywhere from an early first-round selection to a second-day pick.
Shedeur recently had the No. 2 he wore at the University of Colorado retired during the Buffaloes’ spring game.
On her Instagram account, Pilar wrote, “Taking this one last drive in to retire my son’s jersey No. 2. What an honor and a privilege to have spent two years in Boulder, Colorado with them. It’s been amazing.”
While at EFA, Pilar was an all-star cheerleader, soccer player, and contributed as a writer for the Star-Gazette’s Sneakers youth sports section. After graduating with honors from EFA, she attended Syracuse University as a nursing student before joining the Ford Model Agency.
Pilar, 50, has been a film and television actress, highlighted by the 1999 film “The Mod Squad” that starred Claire Danes, Omar Epps and Giovanni Ribisi.
Elmira legend Ernie Davis was drafted No. 1
The intense scrutiny faced by Shedeur in the buildup to the draft is far different than the 1962 NFL draft in which Elmira native Ernie Davis was chosen No. 1 overall by Washington after winning the 1961 Heisman Trophy at Syracuse University.
Davis, an Elmira Free Academy graduate, was subsequently traded to the Cleveland Browns and never played in the NFL after he was diagnosed with leukemia. He died in May of 1963 at age 23.
Hall of Fame quarterback Bob Waterfield had a smaller connection to Elmira, which was his birthplace. Waterfield’s family moved to Los Angeles when he was a baby. He was drafted in the fifth round of the 1944 NFL draft and went on to star for the Cleveland/Los Angeles Rams, earning NFL Most Valuable Player honors in 1945.
NFL draft on TV
The first round of the NFL draft is Thursday, with live coverage on ABC, ESPN and the NFL Network. The seven-round draft continues Friday and Saturday.
Follow Andrew Legare on Twitter: @SGAndrewLegare. You can also reach him at alegare@gannett.com. To get unlimited access to the latest news, please subscribe or activate your digital account today
This article originally appeared on Elmira Star-Gazette: Elmira connection strong for possible first-round pick Shedeur Sanders
