Coal was shoveled into the hype train around Cleveland Browns rookie Shedeur Sanders over the last few days as he put together a solid performance in his preseason debut.
Sanders was 14-of-23 with 138 passing yards and two touchdown passes as Cleveland won, 30-10. The stat line was enough to put Sanders in the conversation about whether he would eventually become the team's starting quarterback in the regular season - at least among sports pundits.
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ESPN NBA analyst Kendrick Perkins went a step further and compared him to LeBron James when he entered the league as a member of the Cleveland Cavaliers.
"Shedeur got a preseason game feeling like a playoff opener," the former Boston Celtics center wrote on X. "Like I said, most star power for a Rookie in Cleveland since Lebron!"
SHEDEUR SANDERS' COACH DECLINES TO GIVE CLARITY ON QUARTERBACK'S STANDING AFTER STUNNING PRESEASON DEBUT
James was dubbed the "King" by the media ahead of his NBA debut. He was billed as the next Michael Jordan on the court before he even stepped foot on an NBA floor. He's won four championships since then, but Sanders' pre-NFL resume wasn't even close to James' accolades.
Sanders was a fifth-round selection out of Colorado. He had his best year in his final season with the Buffaloes. He had 4,134 passing yards and 37 touchdown passes.
He's still in a fight to even make the roster. The Browns have Joe Flacco, Kenny Pickett and fellow rookie Dillon Gabriel on the team in addition to Sanders. Deshaun Watson is also on the injured reserve after tearing his Achilles last season.
There are only a few weeks left for quarterbacks to put some space between each other as they vie for roster spots.
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