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With the No. 94 pick in the 2014 NFL Draft, the Cleveland Browns selected RB Terrance West out of Towson.
Just when we thought the Browns were done for the day, they traded with the San Francisco 49ers to get in at the end of the third round. In order to move into that slot, the Browns gave the 49ers a fourth- and sixth-round pick (No. 106 and No. 180 overall).
Dane Bruglar of CBS Sports had West as his fourth-ranked running back in the draft and loved the pick. Here was his scouting report on him:
Don't be surprised if three years from now, we're talking about West as possibly the top RB from this class. He can do it all
— Dane Brugler (@dpbrugler) May 10, 2014
Despite a productive high school career, West, who has a five-year old son, struggled to qualify academically out of high school and attended Fork Union Military Academy, but he left prematurely because he was too far from home. He worked at a shoe store while trying to walk on at Maryland or Clemson, but ended up walking on at Towson where he worked his way onto the field and rushed for 1,294 yards in a back-up role, setting a FCS freshman touchdown record (29). West saw more playing time in 2012, but re-wrote the record books in 2013 as a junior when he finished with a FCS-record 2,509 rushing yards and 41 rushing scores, earning multiple All-American honors and finishing third in the voting for the Walter Payton Award.
Despite his numbers coming at the FCS-level, his career production is impressive with 4,854 rushing yards and 84 touchdowns in only three seasons – rare FCS underclassman to leave early. West is built very well and delivers hits with his natural power and initial momentum, staying light on his feet and finishing strong. He lacks elite athletic traits, but he is reminiscent of Joique Bell and fits a similar type of role where he can offer a nice quickness and power compliment – top-100 prospect.
West is a physical back, but I think he'll be a guy we look at in the future. RB Ben Tate and RB Dion Lewis would figure to be the team's top two backs this year. Tate is only on a two-year contract, though, so West can mature into a starting role a few years from now.
What do you think, Browns fans?