Emmanuel Niamiah Sanders (born March 17, 1987) is an American former professional football player who was a wide receiver for 12 seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the SMU Mustangs, and was drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the third round of the 2010 NFL Draft. Sanders won Super Bowl 50 with the Denver Broncos, and also played for the San Francisco 49ers, New Orleans Saints, and Buffalo Bills.
High school career
Sanders attended Bellville High School in Bellville, Texas, where he was a four-sport star in football, basketball, baseball, and track. In football, in which he was most notable, Sanders was a first-team All-District performer at running back, wide receiver, and safety. As a senior, he rushed for 499 yards with six touchdowns, hauled in 24 catches for 414 yards and a score while also throwing for a touchdown. On defense, he recorded 49 tackles and three interceptions. He was named Team MVP and Tri-County Offensive Player of the Year following his senior season. In all, he earned seven All-District honors during his high school career. Regarded only as a two-star recruit by both Rivals.com and Scout.com, Sanders chose SMU over scholarship offers from TCU, Kansas, Baylor, and Houston.
College career
After graduating from high school, Sanders was a three-year starter at Southern Methodist University under head coaches Phil Bennett and June Jones. He was awarded All-Conference honors his last two seasons. As a redshirt freshman, Sanders had 46 receptions for 605 yards and nine touchdowns. As a sophomore, he had 74 receptions for 889 yards and nine touchdowns. As a junior, he had 67 receptions for 958 yards and nine touchdowns. As a senior, he had 98 receptions for 1,339 and seven touchdowns. In addition, he averaged 13.8 yards on 20 punt returns with an additional score.
College statistics
Professional career
Pittsburgh Steelers
The Pittsburgh Steelers selected Sanders in the third round (82nd overall) of the 2010 NFL Draft. He was the seventh wide receiver selected and was the first of two wide receivers the Steelers selected in 2010, along with Antonio Brown.
2010 season: Rookie year
On June 15, 2010, the Pittsburgh Steelers signed Sanders to a three-year, $1.80 million contract that includes a signing bonus of $586,000.
Throughout training camp, he competed for the fourth wide receiver position on the depth chart against Antonio Brown and Tyler Grisham. Head coach Mike Tomlin named Sanders the fifth wide receiver on the depth chart to begin the regular season, behind Hines Ward, Mike Wallace, Antwaan Randle El, and Arnaz Battle.
Sanders made his NFL debut in the Steelers' 15–9 season-opening victory against the Atlanta Falcons. He missed the next three games (Weeks 2–4) as a healthy scratch after the Steelers' coaching staff elected to use Antonio Brown instead due to his added special teams abilities. On October 17, 2010, Sanders caught a 22-yard pass from quarterback Ben Roethlisberger in the second quarter to mark his first NFL reception. After Week 9, Sanders received increased playing time after he surpassed Antwaan Randle El on the depth chart and became the No. 3 wide receiver. In Week 10, he caught five passes for 41 yards and scored his first NFL touchdown on a six-yard pass from Ben Roethlisberger in the Steelers' 39–26 loss to the New England Patriots.
Sanders finished his rookie year with 28 receptions for 376 yards and two touchdowns in 13 games and one start. He also had 25 kick returns for 628 yards and logged ten combined tackles on special teams.
During the season, Sanders, Wallace, and Brown became collectively known as the "Young Money Family" or "Young Money Crew," inspired by rapper Lil Wayne. Within the group, Sanders was sometimes referred to as "Easy Money" since his first initial is "E." The wide receiver trio also dubbed the nickname "Bugatti Boys" for themselves, also after a rap group.