It’s often said that running back is the easiest position to transition to at the pro level.
If you get a reasonably football smart player, instincts can do the rest. Browns coach Eric Mangini says his second round pick Montario Hardesty has the brains.
“Some guys couldn’t get the answers,” Mangini said about his rookie minicamp pop quiz questions. “Whenever they couldn’t get an answer, [Hardesty] had his hand in the air. He knew the answer. And it was on a range of different things. You could tell he was constantly paying attention, constantly taking notes.”
Mangini is also impressed with Hardesty’s physical presence.
“He’s pretty well slapped together. He’s in that 225 to 230 range, I think,” Mangini said.
We already loved Hardesty as a fantasy league value pick, but Mangini could have ulterior motives with all this praise. Jerome Harrison, an unsigned restricted free agent, is planning to skip OTAs in hopes of a new contract.
The more praise Harrison hears about Hardesty, the more uncomfortable he may feel about skipping work.
(Now excuse me -- time to get myself pretty well slapped together.)