Browns WR Edwards helping 100 Cleveland kids get to college

BEREA, Ohio — This is looking so much like the breakout season Braylon Edwards expected. The Cleveland Browns' third-year pro, never shy in desiring to be recognized among the elite receivers, has the videotape and statistical evidence that reflects a player of such a level.

Edwards makes spectacular diving catches. He runs fearless routes over the middle. He blocks. He hustles. In a win against the Baltimore Ravens two weekends ago, the former University of Michigan star even led his home crowd in an O-H-I-O chant.

Yet for all the highlights and numbers — Edwards heads into Sunday's game against the Miami Dolphins averaging an NFL-best 20.2 yards a catch for players with at least 15 receptions and ranks fourth overall with 485 receiving yards — it would be a shame to define this man merely as a football player.

MORE ON EDWARDS: Receiver was frustrated early on

Edwards, 24, pledged $1 million this year to Cleveland's public schools for 100 scholarships for children who might not otherwise be able to attend college — or, in some cases, provide incentive for students to further their education. Last year, in the midst of a five-year, $40 million contract, he created a $500,000 endowment at Michigan, the largest donation by a former athlete.

He is a man with a social conscious, serious about education and as self-assured as he is about his football skills when considering how and why he must make a difference.

Eugene Sanders, CEO of the Cleveland Metropolitan School District — which includes 58,000 students in the poorest big city in America, according to U.S. Census Bureau statistics — says Edwards is a godsend.