Shortly after the Cleveland Browns traded up in the fifth round of the 2025 NFL Draft to select Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders at pick No. 144, Sanders vowed that he would be involved in “the community and really leading the kids in the right direction.”
On Wednesday, Sanders started that part of his NFL journey when he spoke to students at the John Marshall High School campus located in Cleveland. While there, he promised to do all he can to deliver the Browns something the franchise has never experienced.
“I’m trying to bring Cleveland a Super Bowl,” Sanders directly said, as shared by Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland Plain Dealer. “Not just on the field, but off the field as well. I want to bring more hope and positivity to the city, and connecting with young people is one of the best ways to do that.”
The so-called “old Browns” never made a single Super Bowl appearance before then-team owner Art Modell relocated the franchise to Baltimore after the 1995 season. Since the return of the Browns in 1999, they’ve notched just a single playoff victory (January 2021).
As for Sanders, his camp may feel that he has to rehab his image a bit after a handful of reports claimed that the way he handled the predraft process caused the 23-year-old, seen by many as the second-best quarterback in his class, to fall to the fifth round of the player-selection process. Sanders seemed focused on off-the-field matters as he interacted with students on Wednesday.
“I have a lot of people watching me, and I know I’m a positive influence for the youth,” Sanders explained. “That motivates me every day.”
Kansas City Chiefs star tight end Travis Kelce and former Philadelphia Eagles center Jason Kelce are a pair of Cleveland Heights natives rooting for Sanders to find success with the Browns and become a local sports icon. Before Sanders can truly begin chasing any Super Bowl dreams, he’ll first have to show from springtime workouts through the preseason that he deserves to play over fellow Browns quarterbacks Joe Flacco, Kenny Pickett and 2025 third-round pick Dillon Gabriel.
