Deion Sanders' 1989 NFL Draft revisited: How Prime Time spurned Lions, Giants and landed with the Falcons

There haven't been many professional athletes in history quite comparable to Deion Sanders.

Long before he became "Coach Prime" as Colorado's head coach and the father to five children, including a star quarterback in Shedeur Sanders, Deion was once one of the biggest stars of all star athletes. In fact, he's the only person to ever play in both a Super Bowl and World Series.

Sanders, a College Football and Pro Football Hall of Famer, began his two-way professional athletic career after playing three sports at Florida State. He first became an NFL star with the Falcons, the team that drafted him — and Sanders was pretty particular about which teams he would be content landing with.

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Here's everything to know about Sanders' draft day, from being picked by the Falcons to his articulated desires to avoid other NFL franchises. 

When was Deion Sanders drafted?

Already considered one of the best defensive prospects in the 1989 NFL Draft, Sanders ran 40-yard dash times of 4.27 and 4.29 at the 1989 combine. That kind of speed only furthered his case to be a top-5 selection.

Ahead of the draft, scouts were calling it a top-heavy class. Elite players were carrying the weight at the top of the first round. Sanders was one of those players, along with running back Barry Sanders, quarterback Troy Aikman and more.

According to Packers.com, Deion Sanders earned an 8.0 pre-draft grade by the National Scouting Combine. Only Tony Mandarich's grade of 8.5 was higher that year. Many executives were praising Sanders and Mandarich as the top two prospects, with the Patriots' director of player personnel at the time, Dick Steinberg, saying they're both "simply exceptional athletes at their position" and "players like that don't come around very often."

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Sanders earned plenty of high expectations before the draft. Per Packers.com, one Tampa Tribune writer said he "could be one of the best cornerbacks ever to come into the game," while Sanders' teammate at Florida State, LeRoy Butler, said the corner has "feet like O.J. Simpson," is "faster than Bo Jackson" and had "the hands of Larry Bird."

There were some concerns over Sanders' baseball career; he'd already started his professional baseball career by 1989. And he also had personality questions, making his requests to play for certain teams very clear.

Nonetheless, Sanders was drafted fifth overall by the Falcons in the 1989 NFL Draft. After becoming one of the biggest stars in college football, winning the Jim Thorpe award in 1988 and totaling 14 interceptions at Florida State, he took his talents to Atlanta, where he would eventually spend five of his 14 NFL seasons.

By the time Sanders was available for Atlanta at the fifth pick, Ken Herock, the team's general manager at the time, said it was a clear choice.

“Our thought process was simple,” Herock told CantonRep.com in 2011. “There were five players in that draft we were taking. No. 1 was (Troy) Aikman, which we knew where he was going. ... Then there was Barry Sanders, who we really liked. ... Then it was Derrick Thomas, who we loved, and then there was a guy named (Tony) Mandarich. ... We liked him, too, but it was one of those things where we hoped we didn’t get him because he was just an offensive lineman, and we already had an offensive tackle.”

Herock told CantonRep.com that with the Lions' No. 3 pick, he knew Detroit would take Barry Sanders. And when the other Sanders was available at five, Herock was surprised "Deion fell to us."

Signing Sanders was a difficult task, however. He wanted a significant deal closer to what Aikman got, a six-year, $11.1 million contract. When the Falcons first offered Sanders around $400,000, he said he "just walked.”

“They must be crazy,” Sanders told reporters of his negotiations with Atlanta, per CantonRep.com. Eventually, he signed a four-year, $4.5 million deal to become a Falcon.

In 2021, Sanders reflected on his draft day in a story for the Clarion Ledger, saying it was the beginning of "a whole new life."

"I knew that my mother would never have to work another day of her life," Sanders told the Clarion Ledger. "From that day forth in '89, my mother hasn't had to work another day in her life."

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Deion Sanders draft interview

Sanders made it clear that he had preferences about where he was drafted in the 1989 NFL Draft. Fortunately, Atlanta was one of those preferences.

After being selected fifth overall, Sanders joined the NFL Draft broadcast for an interview with ESPN's Andrea Kremer. He sat next to his mother, wearing sunglasses indoors and a massive smile.

He began the interview with Kremer by saying he had already decided he wants to wear No. 21 with the Falcons, which would end up happening, and spoke about his mother never having to struggle financially again. Sanders then told ESPN that his preference was always to land with the Falcons or Buccaneers.

"Atlanta chose me, and I'm very pleased with that decision," Sanders said. "I can't wait to get to town."

Concluding the ESPN interview, Sanders said he wanted "everybody in Atlanta" to greet him when he arrived.

"I want a special greeting when I get there," Sanders said with a smile.

Deion Sanders ‘ain't got time’ for Giants

When Sanders was at the 1989 combine, the Giants wanted to test him, as they often did for players. Per NBC Sports, George Young, the team's general manager at the time, often utilized a "two-hour written test that was supposed to serve as a psychological assessment of prospective players."

Sanders wasn't very interested. He had an interaction with New York, he said on NFL Network in 2017, where he ended all talks of a potential test.

"They sat me down and gave me a thick book," Sanders said, per NBC Sports. "I mean, this thing was thicker than a phone book. I said, 'What's this?' They said, 'This is our test that we give all the players.' I said, 'Excuse me, what pick do you have in the draft?' They said, 'I think, 10th [actually 18th].' I said, 'I'll be gone before then. I'll see y'all later. I ain't got time for this.' That's a true story."

He would be proved correct, selected far before the Giants were ever on the clock at No. 18 overall.

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Deion Sanders says Lions couldn't afford him

Sanders wasn't shy about wanting to avoid Detroit, either. In the ESPN interview, just moments after he was selected by Atlanta, Sanders said he was worried the Lions were about to take him third overall. Instead, they chose running back Barry Sanders.

"I was kinda scared. I thought Detroit was gonna take me," Sanders said after the draft. "I woulda asked for so much money they'd have had to put me on layaway."

 

 

 

 

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Wayne Fontes, the Lions' head coach at the time, told The Detroit News in 2019 that Deion Sanders was a "great player" that he liked, but Barry Sanders fit the team better.

Deion Sanders says he 'won't go' to Green Bay

There was a third team toward the top of the 1989 NFL Draft Sanders made his intentions clear about avoiding: the Packers.

According to Packers.com, Sanders told the Fort Myers News-Press in December 1988 that he didn't want to go to Green Bay. 

"I don't want to turn in my alligator shoes for snow boots or my Mercedes for a bobsled," Sanders said. "I won't go."

Sanders all but confirmed those feelings years later, telling Colorado students that he was "was not going to Green Bay," per Athlon Sports.

"They had second pick. Do not draft me. I promise you, I'm not going to Green Bay," Sanders said. "It's freezing. I'm a black man. You know how we are. I'm not doing that, okay."

Draft Day outfit

Sanders was known for his flamboyant, confident personality as a young player, taking on the "Prime" persona that was all about dominance on the field. He later told the Clarion Ledger that "Prime" was part of the reason for his stardom and how he made his money.

"Prime is the entity that sells," Sanders told the Clarion Ledger. "He's the money maker."

That cool "Prime" persona was on full display on draft day in 1989. During his interview with ESPN, Sanders wore a massive gold chain and a Starter jacket with his "Prime Time" logo on the front.

"Everybody got on a little jewelry," Sanders told ESPN. "Even the baby got a little something."

Talking to Deion Sanders about this 1989 draft day pic.
Says “curl looked wet but it was dry!” 😂😂
Good luck to everyone tonight! pic.twitter.com/6ydf5H4zbM

— Taylor Rooks (@TaylorRooks) April 23, 2020

Sanders has always valued fashion, even into his older years. He once dropped a quote on why he cares about dressing well:

"If you look good, you feel good. If you feel good, you perform good. If you perform good, what comes next? They pay good," he said.

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Who was drafted before Deion Sanders?

Four players were taken before Sanders in the 1989 NFL Draft. Mandarich was the lone top-5 pick to not become a Pro Football Hall of Famer after initially being considered one of the greatest offensive line prospects in history.

Here were the top five selections in the 1989 NFL Draft:

Deion Sanders NFL stats

Over his NFL career, Sanders totaled six first-team All-Pro selections, eight Pro Bowl selections and two Super Bowl titles.

Here's a look at his stats with Atlanta, San Fransisco, Dallas, Washington and Baltimore:

When was Deion Sanders drafted to the MLB?

By the time Sanders was selected in the NFL Draft, he was already an MLB prospect playing in the minor leagues. As an outfielder, he was originally drafted by the Royals in the sixth round of the 1985 MLB Draft, but chose not to sign with Kansas City; instead, he signed with the Yankees after being taken in the 30th round of the 1988 MLB Draft.

Before the NFL Draft in April 1989, Sanders had recently finished up his spring training stint with the Yankees before joining their AA team. Just around a month after being drafted to the NFL, on May 31, 1989, Sanders made his major league debut with New York.

In 1989, Sanders would score a touchdown and hit a home run in the same week, also facing off against multi-sport athlete Bo Jackson on multiple occasions. He spent two seasons with the Yankees before they released him, having concerns over how his football career was affecting his baseball career.

Sanders would also play for the Braves, Reds and Giants in his MLB career, which ended in 2001.

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