Plenty of people reacted to former Penn State running back Saquon Barkley’s performance at the Scouting Combine by putting him in play as the first overall pick in the draft. Here’s a reasonable reaction to the decision of the Browns to sign former Ohio State running back Carlos Hyde: The Browns may not be in play for Barkley.
Hyde reportedly will make more than $5 million per year, with more than $6 million reportedly being paid in 2018. This suggests that Hyde is the guy, or at least enough of the guy to make the decision to draft Barkley a waste of his talent, since he wouldn’t be used as an every-down workhorse. If he won’t be used that way, why would anyone make him the first overall pick?
It would be foolish to invest so much draft capital in a running back if the running back won’t be used to the fullest. If the Browns will be splitting duties among Hyde and a rookie, it would be far more sensible to have the rookie be picked in one of the later rounds of the draft.
Of course, another team could trade up to No. 1 and select Barkley. But it wouldn’t make sense for the Browns to make him pick No. 1, now that the Browns are slated to have Hyde.