Cleveland Browns: Top Brass Takes Shedeur Sanders, Travis Hunter to Dinner in Colorado
The Browns used Colorado's Pro Day to spend quality time with potential draft targets Travis Hunter and Shedeur Sanders.
Owner Jimmy Haslam, General Manager Andrew Berry, and Head Coach Kevin Stefanski took Sanders and Hunter to dinner Thursday night, before watching them workout on Friday, according to Steve Wyche of NFL Network.
The Tennessee Titans have the No. 1 pick, while the Browns sit at No. 2, knowing at least one of Colorado's top two stars will be available. Hunter is a multi-talented wide receiver/cornerback, rated the draft’s top prospect by ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr. However, the Browns could opt for Sanders if they believe he can be their next franchise quarterback. Penn State edge rusher Abdul Carter is another possibility at No. 2 for Cleveland.
Colorado Head Coach Deion Sanders told the Browns' brain trust that his two stars deserve to be the first two players selected.
"They should be going 1-2 [in the draft], that's the way I feel about it," Sanders said via Jeff Legwold of ESPN.com. "They are the two best players in this draft. ... The surest bets in this draft are those two young men, and I didn't stutter or stammer when I said that."
Sanders didn't throw at the NFL Scouting Combine but was pleased with his pro day performance.
"I think I did pretty good, to my expectations," said Sanders, who threw 4,134 yards and 37 touchdowns in 2024. "I know I did the best in college football right now, for sure."
Pittsburgh Steelers: Will Ole Miss Quarterback Jaxson Dart Be Target at No. 21?
Aaron Rodgers may decide to play in Pittsburgh next season, but the Steelers continue to explore other options at quarterback.
Jaxson Dart of Mississippi had a pre-draft visit with the Steelers, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network.
Dart has gained momentum as the likely third quarterback to be drafted behind Cam Ward and Sanders, and Rapoport reported the Steelers are one of the teams that has spent the most time with Dart.
After an impressive Pro Day last week, Dart's draft stock has gone up, and the Steelers' interest in him could be rising as well.
Cincinnati Bengals: Zac Taylor Says Starters Will See More Preseason Action
In Zac Taylor's six seasons as the Bengals' head coach, they have a 7-14-1 record in September and started 0-3 last year. Hoping to avoid another slow start, Taylor said he will increase playing time for his starters during the 2025 preseason.
"I see our guys playing more in the preseason this year than we have in the past," Taylor said via Geoff Hobson of the Bengals’ website.
The Bengals ranked 25th in overall defense in 2024 and have a new defensive coordinator in Al Golden. Taylor said improved tackling will be a point of emphasis during preseason games.
"I know Al Golden has a tremendous plan having been with us, having been to college, Notre Dame was an outstanding tackling team," Taylor said. "There's a lot of things that I'm excited to watch and I'll do to make sure that we can continue to enhance that with our guys. We don't do a lot of (tackling) to the ground in training camp. That's what the preseason games are for."
