It’s officially NFL Draft season and before you know it, we will be opening up the draft for an exciting three-day event! This is the time for all 32 NFL teams to improve their roster with either getting immediate help at a certain position, or even bring in depth for competition. Either way, it’s a fun experience for teams, players, and of course the fans.
The Cleveland Browns are set to kick off their draft at the No. 2 overall pick and will have ten total picks to work with. Considering where they are at within their franchise, they need to find a way to utilize all of those picks wisely and it should kick off by selecting a quarterback with their first pick.
Then after that, where should the Browns go from there? Well, it never hurts to add a dynamic running back to your roster, whether or Nick Chubb is back in Cleveland or not. With that, we take a look at the three running back prospects that the Browns cannot avoid during the draft if they have the opportunity to draft one of them.
3 running back prospects Browns cannot afford to avoid in NFL Draft
Omarion Hampton, North Carolina
This pick seems like the most unlikeliest seeing as how Omarion Hampton is pretty much a lock to go off the board in the middle of the first round. However, we have seen strange things happen all the time. Depending on who you talk to, some people have Hampton as their RB1 of this class ahead of Ashton Jeanty out of Boise State.
Hampton has rushed for 1,500+ yards the last two seasons and has punched the ball into the endzone 30 times in that time span. He just feels like he would be the perfect option for the Browns, but there is no way that Cleveland uses their first round pick on him.
Hampton is phenomenal after contact and isn’t afraid to bulldoze his way to a couple of extra yards. Again, Hampton coming to Cleveland seems very unlikely but never say never.
TreVeyon Henderson, Ohio State
Keeping an Ohio State running back in the state of Ohio would be a dream come true. TreVeyon Henderson was fantastic with the Buckeyes throughout his career and pairing him with Jerome Ford would create a duo that can both run and catch passes out of the backfield. Henderson averaged over seven yards per carry last season and he hit the double digit touchdown mark for the third time in four years with the Buckeyes.
Henderson seems like a great day two draft pick, but would Cleveland use their second round pick on a running back at this time, knowing how great the class is overall? Maybe they will, maybe they won’t. Either way, passing up on someone has productive as Henderson would be a tough reality to live with.
Quinshon Judkins, Ohio State
Another Ohio State running back that the Browns could easily keep in Ohio. Quinshon Judkins rushed for three consecutive seasons of 1,000+ yards in his college career as well as atleast 14 touchdowns per season. The one factor that makes Judkins so valuable is that he can be a great pass protector in the backfield.
Judkins might be a more realistic pick for the Browns considering where their picks are in the draft. Judkins has the perfect size and has demonstrated to be extremely productive. Not a lot of people are talking about him and they should be. Let him come to Cleveland and show why he can take a big step forward in his career.