Dawg Pound Daily
FanSided

Cleveland Browns NFL Draft Profile: Kareem Hunt

By Steven Kubitza

Nov 3, 2015; Toledo, OH, USA; Toledo Rockets running back Kareem Hunt (3) runs the ball during the first quarter against the Northern Illinois Huskies at Glass Bowl. Mandatory Credit: Raj Mehta-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 3, 2015; Toledo, OH, USA; Toledo Rockets running back Kareem Hunt (3) runs the ball during the first quarter against the Northern Illinois Huskies at Glass Bowl. Mandatory Credit: Raj Mehta-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
3 of 3
Next
Dec 11, 2016; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Browns running back Isaiah Crowell (34) runs the ball for a first down against the Cincinnati Bengals during the third quarter at FirstEnergy Stadium. The Bengals won 23-10. Mandatory Credit: Scott R. Galvin-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 11, 2016; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Browns running back Isaiah Crowell (34) runs the ball for a first down against the Cincinnati Bengals during the third quarter at FirstEnergy Stadium. The Bengals won 23-10. Mandatory Credit: Scott R. Galvin-USA TODAY Sports /

While it is nice to bring in a player like Leonard Fournette and give him the keys to the offense, the Browns are not in a position to spend a high pick on a running back.

Yes, adding a dominant back does change the dynamic of the offense, but the Browns still need a defense that can get stops and a special teams that can give the offense good starting field position to allow the offense to mix up the play-calling. It’s hard to run the ball when the offense consistently starts on its own side of the field, as was a common sight in 2016.

So while the rest of the team is built up, the running back position is not one where the team should reach in the draft. Crowell and Johnson did well enough with what they were given last year to prevent a major overhaul at the position, although another piece never hurts.

Related: Juju Smith-Schuster draft profile

Hunt could come in as an equal to the other two backs, with all three splitting time. Crowell would enter the year as the number one guy, but Johnson would continue to be a passing threat out of the backfield, while Hunt could do it all.

Drafting Hunt gives the Browns a talented back without having to use a valuable first or second-round pick on him. NFLDraftScout.com has him as the No. 123 overall prospect, with six running backs ahead of him.

If he falls to the end of the third round, or even the fourth, the Browns should take him. With 11 picks at the team’s disposal, they don’t want to spend all 11 on defensive players. Doing this only leads to half the picks being cut, essentially making their selection a waste.

Next: Complete 6-round Browns mock draft

The Browns instead need to take players who can realistically make the team, and Hunt would be a for-sure thing in 2017.

Home/Browns Draft