Corey Coleman Looks Like the Cleveland Browns’ Next Star

Corey Coleman, the Cleveland Browns 2016 first-round pick, looks like a star so far. The jury is still out on draft class of 2015 but the classes of 2012 and 2013 are washes and the class of 2014 looks about as bad as any draft class the team has had to date.

So if Coleman indeed becomes an immediate impact player, he’ll be the first one the Browns have drafted in the first round since Joe Haden in 2010. Former GM Ray Farmer was fired for his misgivings and Sashi Brown may have started the “Moneyball” era off in a good way.

The Browns have piled on busts like Tim Couch, Courtney Brown, Gerard “Big Money” Warren, Quincy Morgan, William Green, Chaun Thompson, Charlie Frye, Brady Quinn, Justin Gilbert and Johnny Manziel, leading to some lean years for this once proud organization.

If the team’s intrasquad scrimmage Friday is any indication, the curse on the Browns draft has been lifted. Coleman used his 4.37 speed and explosive leaping ability to catch passes of 53, 41 and 35 yards from quarterback Robert Griffin III.

On the 41-yarder, Coleman made the catch over Gilbert of all people. ESPN’s Tony Grossi used the words dynamic and scintillating to describe the night he had Friday. Fellow Browns receiver Andrew Hawkins has already to compared him to future Hall of Fame receiver Steve Smith Sr.

He told Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon Journal, “Corey Coleman is an incredible talent. He reminds me a lot of Steve Smith, which is in my opinion one of the top-three receivers to ever play the game of football. I’ve always been a huge Steve Smith fan.

“But he has a lot of that skill set. He has to work on some of his technique stuff, but his effort is what’s special to me because a lot of time young guys, they don’t always come in knowing that above all else, give effort.”

I don’t know about all this Steve Smith stuff but for a teammate to dare put his name in that company, he must be pretty good!