Browns rushing attack to be led by Nick Chubb, several unknowns
By Josh Brown
Demetric Felton Jr. can catch, but can he run?
Demetric Felton Jr. was taken by the Browns in 2021 out of UCLA with a sixth-round pick. He came to Cleveland after an explosive career running and catching the ball with UCLA.
As a Bruin, he garnered 342 touches over his four years gaining 2,059 yards and 15 touchdowns. That means that Felton averaged six yards per touch during his college career. One would expect that at just 5-9 and only 189 pounds Felton would have explosive speed.
He ran a 4.58 in the 40-yard dash so not the speed you would expect, but not slow. Most would probably have described Felton as football-fast, meaning he plays much faster on the field. The Browns drafted him hoping this would be the case.
Felton has spent two seasons in Cleveland and has yet to show some of that football-fast explosiveness that the Browns hoped for out of college. As a pro, he has only touched the ball 28 times, averaging 7.46 a touch. Most of those yards came during his rookie season through the air.
Last year, Felton was primarily used in a receiving role, but again had very few touches and seemed to disappear more as the year went on.
So far in his young career, Felton has yet to impress enough to consistently get touches, so it's hard to know from the outside if he is ready for a larger role. Unless a veteran back is signed soon, we will all be hoping that Felton or one of the other backs will step up and give Chubb the rest needed to keep him fresh all year.
Will Demetric Felton Jr. be the explosive player he was in college? Does he not have any touches because he has not shown that explosiveness? Another question that looks like it will be answered in 2023.