Cleveland Browns quarterback Shedeur Sanders made his long-awaited NFL debut on Friday night and he looked so good in the first half that LeBron James had to tell everyone how impressed he was.
Sanders no doubt had some hiccups, but he was impressive overall in the first half against the Carolina Panthers in the preseason opener.
Sanders completed 11-of-18 passes for 103 yards and two touchdowns, both of which went to wide receiver Kaden Davis. After failing to score in the first quarter, Sanders found pay dirt twice in the second frame - and he looked pretty good doing it.
The fifth-round pick caught LeBron's attention in a big way.
That young looking good out there! @ShedeurSanders Keep going UP!!! HEAD down on the grind and HEAD high to the most high
— LeBron James (@KingJames) August 9, 2025
Sanders might be the most scrutinized rookie in the NFL, if not the most scrutinized player in the league entirely, mostly thanks to his supreme confidence.
The Colorado product was expected to be a first-round pick in the 2025 NFL draft, but didn't go off the board until the fifth round, which amounted to one of the most memorable slides in NFL history.
Now, Sanders is competing for the Browns' starting job and a roster spot. He's currently fourth on the Browns' first unofficial depth chart, which means he's got quite the uphill climb.
That said, he definitely helped his cause against the Panthers.
Sanders has no shortage of detractors, and while he certainly won't erase all of them after one preseason game, he no doubt made some headway toward that difficult task on Friday night.
Shedeur Sanders' Impressive First Half Has LeBron James Hyped first appeared on Men's Journal on Aug 9, 2025
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