Cleveland Browns: Late-round hidden gems to unearth
By Randy Gurzi
Justin Jackson, RB, Northwestern
As mentioned earlier, the Browns went out and got themselves a running back in free agency. Signing Carlos Hyde was a solid move as he’s proven to be a durable work-horse type of back in the NFL. He should have no problem being the feature guy in Cleveland, and they even have a change of pace back — and third-down stud behind him in Duke Johnson.
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Johnson excels more as a pass catcher than Hyde — although Hyde is no slouch in that department. While a lot of people are clamoring for Penn State running back Saquon Barkley, the Browns may feel perfectly fine going with Hyde and Johnson.
They still can use some depth though. One option they could consider near round six or so is Northwestern running back Justin Jackson. He proved to be a solid option despite weighing just under 200-pounds and could be a more traditional running back to fill in should Hyde get hurt. Having such a player allows Johnson to stay in his role, and also helps since Jackson isn’t considered a great option on third-downs despite his 122 career catches.
The most impressive thing about Jackson is that his worst season for Northwestern was his freshman campaign saw his rush for 1,187 yards and began a strong career that ended with 5,440 yards on the ground and 41 touchdowns.