Jim Tressel weighs in on one of his former Ohio State recruits, Carlos Hyde, an option to be the Browns' feature back the next couple of years if John Dorsey doesn't go running back high in the fast-approaching draft.
Saquon Barkley? Derrius Guice? Sony Michel?
Who might be the best fit for the Browns' running game?
Depending on how GM John Dorsey plays the draft, it could be none of the above. It could be 27-year-old former Ohio State Buckeye Carlos Hyde.
If the Browns get through draft picks No. 1 and No. 4 without taking Barkley, all bets are off as to a rookie walking into Berea as the new feature back. It's a long way to picks No. 33 and No. 35, with no assurance Dorsey either will be able to get Guice or Michel, or will even want to.
Hyde's profile suggests he at least has a chance to carry the ground game, if necessary.
It goes back to Hyde's profile in 2014, when the 49ers drafted him in Round 2. Scout/analyst Nolan Nawrocki graded him as the 21st-best overall prospect, just behind Odell Beckham and just ahead of Derek Carr.
Nawrocki wrote, in scouting shorthand:
"Looks every bit the part. Outstanding size and explosive power. Can be his own blocker and create his own holes. Superb contact balance and finishing strength.
"Extremely powerful goal-line runner. Surprisingly quick in short space. Solid in pass protection and can stonewall blitzers in their tracks. Soft hands as a catcher.
"Big, strong, powerful NFL feature back who carried Ohio State's offense as a senior and is well built for the physicality of the AFC North."
Dorsey's March-madness roundup of veteran players included giving Hyde a three-year, $15.3 million contract with $8 million guaranteed. The money was big enough to point to a big role and modest enough for flexibility in terms of taking Barkley at No. 4.
Last year's No. 4 pick, Leonard Fournette, joined the Titans on a fully guaranteed four-year, $27.2 million deal. Ezekiel Elliott, the No. 4 pick of the 2016 draft, got a four-year, $24.9 million contract from the Cowboys.
If Dorsey picks a back at No. 33 or No. 35, the money will be considerably less. Last year's 33rd pick, defensive back Kevin King, went to the Packers on a four-year, $7.1 million deal.
Money aside, Dorsey says Hyde is "built to play the Browns' style of running game."
Jim Tressel, who recruited Hyde to Ohio State, called him "a good get for the Browns."
"I remember Carlos when we were recruiting him," Tressel told The Canton Repository this week. "Coach (Bill) Kramer from Naples High School called us and said, 'Here's a guy who grew up in Ohio. You may want to look at him.'
"So we started looking at him when he was a junior. And he was a heck of a player. Coach Kramer had two great backs that year. One little guy and Carlos."
Hyde lived in Cincinnati through his freshman year at Princeton High School before moving to Florida to live with his grandmother.
"I think the Ohio familiarity, because he was really from Cincinnati, plays into the Browns' situation," Tressel said. "As a player, Carlos is big and strong, with good hands. He's not afraid to block. He did a nice job at San Francisco."
Hyde saw spot duty as a true freshman under Tressel. He was Ohio State's primary back in his third season (Urban Meyer's first) in 2012 when he ran for 970 yards at 5.2 per carry with 16 touchdowns. He took off in 2013, rushing for 1,521 yards (7.2 average) and 15 TDs in 11 games and scoring three TDs as a receiver.
With the 49ers, Hyde broke through in his third year, when he ran for 988 yards (4.6 average) in 13 games. His most successful streak came in his fourth year, 2017, when he started throughout Jimmy Garoppolo's 5-0 run as the new quarterback. For the season, Hyde ran for 938 yards (3.9 average) and eight touchdowns and also caught 59 passes.
As for Barkley, former NFL general manager Charley Casserly compares him to LaDainian Tomlinson (Hall of Fame Class of 2017). Barkley's scouting fan club is huge.
If the Browns don't pick Barkley early, LSU's Guice could be gone before they choose again at 33. NFL Network analyst Daniel Jeremiah pegs Guice as the 17th-best player in the draft and calls him "a very shifty back with excellent quickness and power."
Jeremiah ranks Michel, from Georgia, as the 23rd-best draft prospect, calling him "one of my favorite players in the entire draft."
Jeremiah says Michel reminds him "a lot" of Kareem Hunt, who was drafted by the Chiefs last April when Dorsey was still their general manager. Hunt lasted until late in Round 3, but he wouldn't if GMs had a mulligan. He gave Kansas City 1,782 rushing-receiving yards as a rookie en route to the Pro Bowl.
Also part of this discussion is Duke Johnson, often productive as a role player since joining the Browns as a third-round pick in 2015. He is in the final year of his rookie contract, which shades Dorsey's thinking about drafting a runner somewhere, even if it's not as early as Round 2.
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