Saturday Prospect Spotlight: MAC Tight End Special
The Browns have an elite tight end but let's not act like they don't need some youth and talent infusion for the future.
These college football Saturdays really provide the necessary football break I need. I don’t have to care about outcomes, or storylines, or anything much else other than watching the talent and quality of games. That is football bliss because we know when Sunday rolls around the energy and focus get shifted to the Browns and with that comes the stress — both good and bad. I am reminded yet again how thankful I am to see the team back in the first round and what I keep gathering is they are going to need to nail this set of selections due to the age of their current roster. So, we will be focusing beyond the first round at times and looking at positions this team has to invest in yet again.
Reminder: As the Browns make a return to the first round of this year's NFL Draft, each Saturday we will highlight a player worth watching with the Browns’ prospect preferences in mind!
Obviously we will focus on the highest-ranked prospects this year because the Browns could have a wide range of outcomes for their pick, but we hope they select the 32nd overall prospect following a Super Bowl win but we will expand beyond that scope at times — like today!
The Browns haven’t entertained a young tight end in the draft since the took Harrison Bryant in the 2020 NFL Draft and as we see the depth crisis they are in without David Njoku, the time has come to expand investment while you can let a younger tight end grow behind a veteran. That takes us on a trip across I-90 and over to Bowling Green of all places for a talented prospect.
History
Harold Fannin Jr.s path will be different from so many we will cover in this series. He is as Ohio as it gets as he is from historic McKinley High School in Canton. His history with football isn’t even at tight end as he was a receiver and safety for the Bulldogs and Stark County player of the year as a Senior where he was a 1st Team All-Ohio safety.
Fannin was not heavily recruited in high school and most saw him as an eventual linebacker at the next level. Bowling Green was his only FBS scholarship offer. He converted to tight end for the Falcons and blossomed into the top-tier prospect we know today.
Stats
2022: 19 receptions, 218 yards, 1 touchdown — 10 carries, 53 yards, 4 touchdowns
2023: 44 receptions, 623 yards, 6 touchdowns — 14 carries, 41 yards
2024: 25 receptions, 349 yards, 2 touchdowns (through three games)
Scouting Report
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