Wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders earned his share of publicity during his career at SMU, and deservedly so, as he ended his tenure on the Hilltop with just about every career record in school history. Sanders was so productive at SMU that he was drafted in the third round of the 2010 NFL Draft by the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Nine months later, the Steelers are one of two teams still playing, as they will meet the Green Bay Packers in Sunday’s Super Bowl. PonyFans.com caught up with three members of the Pittsburgh organization who know Sanders best: wide receivers coach Scottie Montgomery and receivers Antonio Brown and Arnaz Battle, who weighed in on a number of subjects regarding the rookie receiver from SMU.

What were your initial impressions of Emmanuel Sanders when he first arrived in Pittsburgh?:

Pittsburgh receivers coach Scottie Montgomery said his work in the offseason will determine how good Sanders can be (photo by Pittsburgh Steelers).

Scottie Montgomery: The immediate things were that he’s extraordinarily athletic, he has great speed and comes in and out of his breaks very quickly, he did an unbelievable job with his footwork and hand placement and how he framed the ball as he reached for it. We liked all of those things about him, which is why we felt comfortable spending a higher draft choice on him, and he has been everything we hoped he would be in his rookie season.

Antonio Brown: He’s a really smart, straightforward guy. He’s very confident, and he has got some swagger, but he has a humble side, too.

Arnaz Battle: When Emmanuel first came to Pittsburgh, you could see his talent right away … but he also was a total knucklehead. We don’t haze rookies here, but we have certain things we expect. Rookies are expected to buy us breakfast and keep us stocked with refreshments. He didn’t really get it, until we started to take a little money out of his pocket. That got his attention.

When he first got to Pittsburgh, Sanders admitted that he didn’t really know who Lynn Swann was. Now that he has been a Steeler for a year, does he fully understand the significance of wearing jersey No. 88 in Pittsburgh?:

Brown: I think it really didn’t sink in for him until he went home and did his homework about who Lynn Swann is, and studied (Swann’s) place in the history of the Steelers and the history of the NFL. That number has been good to him this year — it motivates him. Lynn Swann set the standard extremely high, and I think (Sanders) wants to be right there next to him.

Battle: I think he does. I appreciate just being a Pittsburgh Steeler. When I signed (as a free agent before the 2010 season), it felt good to know that we would be contenders every year. When you play for this franchise, you learn very quickly about the fan base, the traditions and the importance of the Steelers in the city. The veterans and the young guys all know it. I think Emmanuel knows what it means to wear No. 88 for this team. Lynn Swann was one of the greatest receivers ever to play this game, and he (Sanders) knows that.

Veteran Arnaz Battle said Sanders was somewhat humbled after studying the history of the Pittsburgh Steelers (photo by Pittsburgh Steelers).

Montgomery: Emmanuel is not in that category with Lynn Swann, who is an unbelievable guy to look up to, and an unbelievable player to look up to. We put him in No. 88 because it’s a receiver number. I know Mike (Wallace) wears 17, but receivers should be in the 80s.

How has Emmanuel changed the most since he first joined the Steelers?:

Brown: Just understanding the offense. As a rookie, you show up thinking you know how to play, and then they throw so much at you. College playbooks had a lot in them, but an NFL playbook … there’s a lot to learn, and he did a really good job of picking everything up.

Montgomery: His progression off the field, from the academic perspective. With young receivers, a lot of times they can only learn one position, so you try to hide them. Emmanuel is a versatile guy who can play three or four positions for us. We don’t have to try to hide him at all. He has a lot more to learn, but he already has learned a lot. I’m sure at SMU he was kind of a big man on campus, but here, at least among the receivers, that’s Hines Ward and Antwaan Randle El. He understands that. He has the physical ability, and he has learned a lot, but he doesn’t abuse that. He understands he has a way to go, but he knows he belongs.

Battle: He has come a long way … and not just with the breakfast and the snacks. I think the biggest thing is his attention to detail. He came in here from SMU, and I think he started to help get the tradition back there, so I’m pretty sure he was “the man” there. I don’t know the coaches at SMU, but when you’re the man, maybe you get away with some things, as far as far as the little things, but that doesn’t work at this level. There’s a reason we’re taught to do things specific ways, and he’s doing that now. He’s doing the things he is supposed to do, and I think he embraces that.

At SMU, Emmanuel was a pretty vocal guy. Now that he’s a rookie on a team with some dominant personalities — Ben Roethlisberger, Hines Ward, James Farrior, Troy Polamalu — how outspoken is he as a Steeler?:

Brown: We’re rookies, but we never went out on the field like rookies. We do our jobs, and we listen to the veterans and the coaches, but we talk, too. I don’t know how he talked at SMU, but it’s not like we have to be silent out there on the field.

Battle: He might have been loud in school, but he didn’t come in like that here. He’s a vocal guy, but he’s not obnoxious. He came in the locker room and came on our practice field and he saw Hines Ward and James Harrison and Troy Polamalu, and he saw the Super Bowl trophies. That can be pretty humbling.

Montgomery: Emmanuel’s not loud — that’s not the way we do things. When we’re at practice, we’re working. It’s business. That’s it. Most elite people in the NFL, if they have a case of nerves, make sure they don’t show it. He’s got guys around him who give him a lot of confidence, and we’re here to coach him up. I want him to be an elite player.

Fellow rookie wide receiver Antonio Brown is more impressed with Sanders as a football player than as a musician (photo by Pittsburgh Steelers).

What’s your favorite embarrassing Emmanuel Sanders story from his rookie season?:

Battle: I don’t know if it counts as a “story,” but one thing we give him a lot of grief about is his car. He got a Mercedes, but then he moved to “Mount … something” — I forget the name of the place. It’s an area of Pittsburgh that’s near the top of a little mountain, or at least a really big hill. We always tease him about the car. It’s a nice car, but it snows in Pittsburgh, and that thing isn’t exactly made for snow. Antonio Brown — he’s smart. He went and got a Jeep Cherokee.

Montgomery: That’s not how we in Pittsburgh. Stories stay in-house.

Brown: Did you know he writes raps? He does. He was doing one before a meeting one day when Coach Montgomery walked in. He stopped, but Coach made him finish it. It was awful.

Now that he has a full season of experience, learning the system, working out and practicing with the team, getting used to his teammates and playing in NFL games, how good can Emmanuel be?:

Brown: The sky’s the limit. He’s talented and he’s smart. He works hard, and he wants to be great. We have great coaches on this team, and great veterans he can learn from. He can be as good as he wants to be.

Battle: He has always had the talent — you could see that when he got here. He’s a unique guy. His stature might not be that big, and even though he’s kind of a “strider,” he’s fast. His hands are good, and his route running is getting better. But now he’ll block more — he’ll crash in and crack a defensive end. But he’s still graceful and has a lot of speed. He has a lot of upside.

Montgomery: It’s hard to compare players. I don’t like to do that — I don’t want to say Emmanuel is a younger version of someone else. I want him to be a young Emmanuel Sanders, and hopefully in a few years, I’ll say he’s an older Emmanuel Sanders, a smarter Emmanuel Sanders, a better Emmanuel Sanders.

How good can he be? Check back with me in a few months, after I see what he did with an offseason. Let’s see how he works in our offseason program. He can get quicker, and he can get stronger, and I hope he does. Between the first and second year — in high school, college or in the NFL — that’s when you see a major jump in many guys’ play. How much he jumps depends a lot on what he does in the offseason, to learn from his first season and prepare for his second season. He has a lot of good football ahead of him. How good he gets … that’s up to him.