Pierre Desir and Isaiah Crowell among “Best NFL Prospects”

The Cleveland Browns may still struggle with nailing down the first round of NFL Drafts, but Football Outsiders appears to be a fan of some of Ray Farmer’s late-round gems. As they have over the last few years, the analytical folks over at “FO” are uncovering their list of the 25 best “prospects” in the league. But to be considered, players have to have been drafted in the third round or later, be 26 years old or younger, and have entered the NFL at some point between 2012 and 2014.

While it could be expected that players like Justin Gilbert and Johnny Manziel would not have been considered regardless of their draft position, Browns fans can take some solace in the fact that both cornerback Pierre Desir and running back Isaiah Crowell were listed among the top 12.

Here’s what Aaron Schatz has to say:

11. Pierre Desir, CB, Cleveland Browns

The undrafted K’Waun Williams played more than Desir as a rookie, but Desir is the more talented player in the long run. The Browns knew Desir would require some development time when they took him in the fourth-round out of Division II Lindenwood, and knee problems in the preseason of his rookie year didn’t help. Like Antonio Cromartie, Desir is a long, boundary cornerback who has natural ball skills but needs to stay outside to be effective.

12. Isaiah Crowell, RB, Cleveland Browns

Once upon a time, Crowell was an elite, five-star running back recruit. Then he got kicked out of the University of Georgia for a felony weapons arrest and finished his college career at FCS Alabama State. The Browns signed Crowell as an undrafted free agent; he hasn’t caused any off-field problems, and the talent was clearly still there. Crowell still has excellent balance and vision to move through his blockers. His combine 40 time of 4.57 seconds is more impressive when you consider that he weighed in at 224 pounds, giving him a 102.7 Speed Score. By the end of his rookie year, Crowell moved past third-round pick Terrance West on the Browns’ depth chart, and he’ll probably be the Cleveland starter in 2015. He’s not much of a receiver, so rookie Duke Johnson Jr. will fill the role of third-down back.

While we oftentimes cite Pro Football Focus (PFF) around these parts, Football Outsiders is right there when it comes to analytical discussion points. Their proprietary DVOA (Defense-adjusted Value Over Average) takes every play and compares its success to the NFL average based on situation and opponent. And for those who haven’t exactly been on the field much to rack up much in the way of DVOA, these guys have several systems which are used to project collegiate talent to the pros.

While most “prospect” lists can oftentimes be compared to flinging a bunch of names against a wall to see what sticks, a look at the 2014 list provides names like Arizona’s Andre Ellington, Kansas City’s Travis Kelce (Cleveland, what up!?), and Cleveland’s John Hughes. (To be fair, Garrett Gilkey also made the list and he’s no longer with the team, though is getting plenty of snaps down in Tampa Bay through the preseason.)

The defensive backfield is a bit crowded, so there’s no telling what sort of opportunities will be provided to Desir—those Antonio Cromartie comparisons sure are fun. That said, the running back position appears to be there for the having. After watching Crowell and his pizza lunchables through the course of last season, pairing him with a change-of-pace guy in Duke Johnson may have enough potential to make us forget that these backfield concerns ever existed in the first place.