Ex-Browns WR Steve Sanders on Cleveland's offseason moves, suggestion for No. 2 pick
Ex-Browns WR Steve Sanders on Cleveland's offseason moves, suggestion for No. 2 pick
This week, Touchdown Wire's Ed Easton Jr. spoke to ex-Cleveland Browns wide receiver Steve Sanders about life after professional football and who his former team should select in the 2025 NFL draft.
Sanders, who is currently a director for US Sports Camps, began by explaining what he has done in his retirement before delving into the Browns.
"I've always been passionate about youth sports, coaching, and working with athletes," Sanders explained. "As a young kid playing sports, I was always helping coach other kids and trying to make sure everybody got better as a team. So, just being a leader throughout my playing career and being a team captain, that just kind of stuck with me. When I got done playing, I didn't get the opportunity to go into coaching. Still, I developed a character development and leadership training program called 'Training Camp for Life' and wrote a book about it. And I just kept that going. I just kept building upon that."
Sanders began his NFL career with the Browns in 2006 as an undrafted free agent. A Cleveland native, Sanders played for his hometown team and continues to support the franchise well after retirement. In his comments to Easton, Sanders shared his thoughts on the team's roster ahead of the 2025 NFL draft.
"I think the organization is in a pivotal time right now, trying to navigate their franchise player and ensuring the defense is secure," said Sanders. "Myles Garrett just got the new contract, so he wanted to leave. Now it looks like he's going to stay. So that's a good pivotal piece that you have in place, and if you can continue to build on that, the defense did have a down season this past season.
"But, if they can bounce back, and they can go back to where they were in the 2023 season, then you can show up some things on the offensive side. I think Joe Flacco just signed, so they got him coming back, and he played pretty well during that season. But the most crucial part is you gotta find your franchise quarterback, and at number two, you gotta get this right this time. It can't be a miss. It can't be a Hey. We tried, but it didn't work out."
The Browns had a tumultuous 2024 campaign, finishing with a 3-14 record and securing the No. 2 pick in this year's draft. Some fans believe that Cleveland should select its new franchise quarterback with its first-round pick, and Sanders has targeted one player in particular for that role.
"I think at number two, you gotta take Shedeur Sanders," Sanders told Easton. "I don't see why you wouldn't. I get it. If Travis Hunter is not taken at the number one pick, then the number two pick, you could have a difficult choice there, but you seem to have a dominant defensive player. And Myles Garrett, and you didn't go anywhere. So, not to negate what he brings to the table, because he brings a lot.
"But if you don't have the franchise quarterback, if you don't have the piece in place, then you're not going to be very successful in the NFL. So I think Shedeur Sanders is the pick; regardless of whether he's at number two, you must take them. And I think you build the pieces around him, put the right system in place, and he will be a franchise quarterback for years to come."
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