Johnny Manziel offers Shedeur Sanders advice about succeeding with Browns

Before Johnny Manziel flamed out of the NFL after just two seasons, Cleveland Browns fans hoped that the 22nd overall pick of the 2014 draft would prove to be a franchise quarterback for the organization. 

Thus, Manziel knows something about what 2025 fifth-round draft choice Shedeur Sanders is experiencing this summer. During a recent chat with Ayrton Ostly of USA Today, Manziel offered Sanders some advice heading into the 2025 campaign. 

"Looking at it from an outside perspective, somebody that obviously has ties to Cleveland, just keep going, keep balling, keep trying to get better," Manziel said while speaking about Sanders. "Eventually his day's going to come to where he is the starter there, and hopefully he can make the most of it, and he's got people excited."

Manziel's much-publicized off-the-field issues and the fact that he was never "going to be happy" in Cleveland essentially ensured that he would go down as one of the most-discussed draft busts of the 2010s. That said, he did manage to give Browns fans some highlight-reel moments as he won two of eight career starts.

As for Sanders, his handling of the predraft process allegedly caused who was once seen as a first-round talent to be on the board when the Browns traded up to get him at overall pick No. 144 this past spring. Manziel believes that having Hall of Famer Deion Sanders as a father will help Shedeur Sanders be "well prepared for everything that comes with being in the NFL and playing the quarterback position."

Shedeur Sanders suffering an oblique injury earlier in the week will likely keep him buried on the depth chart as veteran Joe Flacco prepares to start Cleveland's Week 1 game against the Cincinnati Bengals on Sept. 7. It will be interesting to see how Sanders handles serving as a third- or fourth-choice option for his club this fall. 

"He is going to be different than a lot of guys that you're going to see around the league," Manziel added about Sanders. "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."

For now, Sanders will concentrate on attempting to recover from his setback ahead of Cleveland's preseason finale versus the Los Angeles Rams on Aug. 23.