Cleveland Browns 2016 draft grade: Corey Coleman

The Cleveland Browns are receiving positive reviews after selecting Baylor wide receiver Corey Coleman in the first round of the draft.

After three years of avoiding selecting a wide receiver with an early draft pick, the Cleveland Browns pulled the trigger in the first round of the 2016 NFL Draft by picking Baylor wide receiver Corey Coleman.

Coleman has the type of speed that can be a game changer, which is something the Browns have been consistently missing on offense since the late 1980s. While they have seen flashes at the position in recent years – most notably Braylon Edwards in 2007 and Josh Gordon in 2013 – the offense has primarily had to rely on plodding, long drives to the end zone.

But in Coleman the Browns have the type of player who can find the end zone from anywhere on the field.

“Once you get the ball in his hands, he can make tremendous plays.” – Sashi Brown on Corey Coleman

“We were able to add a very dynamic football player to our team in Corey Coleman,” head coach Hue Jackson said. “What a tremendous athlete and the suddenness and quickness, and I said earlier, we plan on being very dynamic on offense. This guy truly gives us an opportunity to do that. He’s one of the players that obviously was very high on our board. We had an opportunity to take him, and we did. I’m very excited about it.”

There are some legitimate questions about Coleman’s size – at 5-foot-11 and 190 pounds he seems better suited for the slot rather than outside, where he played 80 percent of his offensive snaps at Baylor. He also was tasked with running a very limited route tree at Baylor, but just because the Bears’ offense doesn’t ask more of wide receivers doesn’t mean that Coleman can’t do more.

“Hue Jackson is going to put me in a position to succeed, I really believe that,” Coleman said. “That’s the type of coach he is. They wouldn’t have drafted me (otherwise). He has a plan for me.”

Coleman may need some time to develop his game for the NFL, but with the Browns clearly looking to use 2016 as a development year with an eye toward 2017, that’s not a big deal. He also becomes the team’s top wide receiver, which may not be saying much but is a good start. Let’s give this pick a solid B+ and a very nice opening to the team’s latest rebuilding efforts.

Here are a few other perspectives on the selection:

Yahoo Sports: The Browns’ new regime has had a hard time hiding its love for Coleman, maybe the most explosive receiver in this draft. Fans might get nervous about hearing another Baylor receiver is coming to town, but there is almost no character concern about Coleman, who has overcome a lot in his life. He needs a quarterback, but maybe he and (former Baylor) QB Robert Griffin III can connect on some bombs. Coleman has great speed; drops have been his biggest bugaboo. Grade: B+

NFL.com: Connecting Robert Griffin III with another ex-Baylor player, Corey Coleman, makes a lot of sense. Getting four extra picks to move down eight spots is a good deal, if you buy into the “more is more” theory when it comes to accumulating selections. Only capitalizing on the extra selections will make it a great deal. Grade: B

Pro Football Focus: Our top receiver is off the board as Corey Coleman goes to Cleveland. He’s dynamic both before and after the catch, capable of separating as well as any receiver in the draft and then taking it to the house after he catches it. Coleman posted a ridiculous 4.88 yards per route (best in the nation) before a poor quarterback situation hurt his production. His 10 drops are cause for some concern, but not nearly enough to offset what he brings to the table as both a short and deep threat. Even with his limited experience running a number of routes in Baylor’s offense, Coleman has all of the skills to separate on any type of route once he transitions to the NFL. Grade: A

SI.com: Coleman is unquestionably the most explosive receiver in this class, with the ability to flat-out smoke anyone covering him. In addition, and surprisingly enough for a pure spread offense like Baylor’s, he does have a natural sense of route development. Most likely, Cleveland will have to work with what he can do in the short term, while teaching him the full route tree over time. Is he a No. 1 receiver in the Antonio Brown mold? That’s a stretch, and it’s hard to rationalize this pick with Josh Doctson still on the board. But this guy can really fly. Grade: B

For the Win: Coleman adds speed and run-after-the-catch ability to a Browns receiving corps that lacks both. New coach Hue Jackson is one of the more creative play-callers in the league and will have no problem getting Coleman the ball in space. That will allow him to still be productive while learning how to run NFL routes. Grade: B