"Don't think Prime would allow": Former NFL star rejects Shedeur Sanders' move to an AFC powerhouse due to Coach Prime

Shedeur Sanders could be the first quarterback taken in April's NFL draft. The Tennessee Titans, Cleveland Browns and New York Giants own the top three choices, but former standout NFL returner Joshua Cribbs believes one of those teams can be ruled out of the sweepstakes for the Colorado Buffaloes star.

Deshaun Watson didn't pan out for Cleveland after they paid a king's ransom for him in a trade a few years ago. Jameis Winston and Dorian Thompson-Robinson aren't the answer for the Browns, either. Bailey Zappe's future with the team almost goes without saying.

Cribbs doesn't believe Shedeur Sanders will be the one to take over for that paltry group of passers.

"It's not a diss to Shedeur. It's just his father is very prominent, right?" Cribbs said Wednesday on his podcast, "The Return With Josh & Maria Cribbs." "I don't want it to be a situation like Eli Manning had when he came out and he just refused to go to another NFL team. They basically put him with the New York Giants. He had success. It worked.

"I don't think Prime — Deion Sanders — would allow his pride and joy, Shedeur Sanders, to come to the Browns at this point in our organizational rebuild."

Cleveland has long struggled in a division that includes steady franchises in Baltimore and Pittsburgh.

The Browns have only made the playoffs three times since 1999, never making it past the divisional round and all while cycling through scores of promising quarterbacks. That group of failed passers includes Baker Mayfield, who's since gone on to become a successful starter with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

How Shedeur Sanders might see his path unfold

Making things even more intriguing is the fact that Deion Sanders said Wednesday on "Good Morning America" that he'd be interested in coaching in the professional ranks, but only with his sons on his team.

The elder Sanders has also said that he'll make sure his sons end up in a situation that sets them up for success. Cleveland's track record doesn't fit that bill.

"I know where I kinda want them to go," Deion Sanders said in March on the "Million Dollaz Worth of Game" podcast. "There are certain cities where it ain't gonna happen. It's gonna be an Eli."

At this point, that comment likely applies more to Shedeur Sanders, whose draft stock is much higher than his brother's. One of the destinations that Sanders seems to prefer is in New York with the Giants. Photos emerged of his custom red-and-white cleats before the Buffaloes' Alamo Bowl clash with BYU, although Shedeur Sanders didn't wear them for warm-ups or the game itself.