Johnny Manziel believes Shedeur Sanders has what it takes for NFL

If there’s one person who can understand what Shedeur Sanders is going through in his first NFL training camp with the Browns, it’s the 2014 Browns first-round pick, Johnny Manziel. 

Manziel has liked what he has seen from Sanders through training camp and the preseason thus far, saying during an interview with USA Today on Thursday that Sanders is “well prepared for the moment.”

“Well prepared for everything that comes with being in the NFL and playing the quarterback position,” Manziel said. 

Sanders faced plenty of scrutiny leading up to the NFL draft this spring, and concerns about how he handled the pre-draft process are believed to have led to a dramatic drop in his draft stock. He was eventually taken in the fifth round by Cleveland. 

Manziel, who said he has known the Sanders family and Shedeur’s Pro Football Hall of Fame dad, Deion, for a long time, described the quarterback as “unique” and someone who “beats to his own drum.”

“He is going to be different than a lot of guys that you’re going to see around the league,” Manziel said. “I think he’s done the right thing every step of the way. At the same time, you want to continue to be yourself. You don’t want to change what’s made you great and something that’s ingrained in your DNA.”

Sanders had a strong outing in his first preseason game against the Panthers last weekend. 

He threw for 138 yards and two touchdowns while completing 14 of 23 passes in the preseason debut. 

But he suffered a bit of a bump in the road this week after he suffered an oblique strain during a joint practice with the Eagles and is day-to-day. 

Sanders is unlikely to play in this weekend’s preseason game against the Eagles, and Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski indicated that the team wanted to be “smart” about his recovery. 

“So, unfortunately, going to put him down for a little bit here. We’ll treat it day-to-day and see how it responds. But, want to be smart because he’s a thrower — you can’t push that thing,” he said in a press conference on Thursday.