Savage; Green still is Browns’ second-string tailback
Steve Doerschuk
5/4/2006
BEREA - Rookie fifth-round pick Jerome Harrison won’t necessarily blow former first-rounder William Green out of town. General Manager Phil Savage said Green heads to minicamp as the top backup to 1,200-yard rusher Reuben Droughns.
“I think William is the incumbent as the second-string tailback,” Savage said on a WTAM-AM draft show. “Someone’s going to have to beat him out.
“The drafting of Jerome Harrison probably doesn’t effect William Green as much as it would Lee Suggs or Jason Wright. Suggs, Wright and Harrison are slated to be third-down backs.
“If Harrison is that good, then maybe Jason and Lee have to compete with William.”
Harrison was a 1,900-yard rusher at Washington State in 2005. Browns scout James Kirkland boosted Harrison’s grade as the evaluation season wore on.
“He’s understated as a runner,” Kirkland said. “You can think he’s just a scatback, but you watch him, and he can make his way inside. He can make big runs. He can grind some.
“(In predraft sessions), he passed every test. He ran well, caught the ball well and tested well.
“He’s from Michigan, a blue-collar guy, a good fit for us. The weather won’t bother him.
“People look for flash and what not. You’re gonna get some flash, but he’s more substance than anything.”
Head Coach Romeo Crennel seems intent on keeping Droughns fresher. Droughns carried a franchise-record 309 times in 2005.
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