Browns Rookie Shedeur Sanders Takes the Spotlight in Viral High School Game Encounter

Cleveland Browns rookie Shedeur Sanders was swarmed by a crowd of adoring teenagers at a Cleveland area high school football game on Thursday, August 21. The Colorado standout and his Browns teammate Greg Newsome II showed up to the game unexpectedly, and were quickly met with the high school equivalent of a paparazzi ambush as dozens of teens flashed cameras and shouted praise at the two NFLers.

According to Fox 8, Sanders and Newsome were in attendance at a game between Avon High School and Saint Ignatius. Avon, the defending state champions, won the season opener at home, according to The Chronicle-Telegram.

Most NFL rookies wouldn’t create that kind of chaos, but Sanders is an exception to the rule. Sanders was not just a college standout, but a pop culture phenomenon along with his college teammate Travis Hunter and their coach Deion Sanders. Because of his father’s stardom in his playing days, Sanders was marked for fame the second he became a public figure as a football player. Despite the fact that he hasn’t taken an NFL regular season snap yet, Sanders has already garnered more public attention than most rookies would ever dream of.

Early Stardom for NFL Rookies Is Not an Unforeseen Phenomenon

Although most rookies don’t grab the kind of attention that Sanders has gotten, his rookie fame isn’t something the NFL hasn’t seen before. Other college stars have come into the NFL with the same kind of hype around them, most notably two quarterbacks who, like many others, burned bright but flamed out young: Tim Tebow and Johnny Manziel.

Tebow was an elite college player who was primed to hit his stride in the NFL, but unfortunately for him, his talents didn’t translate well to the next level. Tebow was surrounded by one of the best college teams ever constructed at the University of Florida, but without an elite supporting cast in the NFL, his flaws were exposed. Sanders shouldn’t have the same problem because he was actually elevating a Colorado team that needed his leadership and talent to succeed, so on paper, his transition to pro football should be smoother.

Manziel was similar to Sanders in the sense that he was more of a social sensation as he progressed into the NFL, but his downfalls came because of off-field issues that don’t seem to be the same as any issues Sanders is facing.

Sanders Was Passed on for the Browns Starting QB Job for Week 1

Despite his fame and talent on the field, the Browns crowded quarterback room was given some clarity when veteran Joe Flacco was named week one starter earlier this week. Although Sanders has the flash, it was always going to be an uphill battle for him to start for the Browns with Flacco, fellow rookie Dillon Gabriel and journeyman Kenny Pickett all sharing reps with him during training camp.

It did come as something of a surprise that Flacco was named the week one starter, considering the Browns roster as it is currently constructed isn’t necessarily a real playoff contender. Because of that, it seems like it would make more sense for them to start Sanders or Gabriel to let them get their feet wet at the pro level in a season where team expectations aren’t high