Browns TE Gary Barnidge, WR Corey Coleman listed by NFLPA as future top-selling stars

Prior to last season, nobody would have projected "Gary Barnidge" and "future top-selling star" to be in the same sentence. He took the league by storm despite his veteran status in 2015, though, and is now being recognized for his marketing potential by the NFLPA.

Earlier this month, the NFLPA published its second annual Rising 50 list, which is intended to "identify players best positioned to rank among top-sellers of all officially licensed merchandise and become future retail stars." By identifying these 50 players well in advance of the 2016 season, the NFLPA hopes to "provide its existing and prospective business partners – including licensees, retailers and sponsors – with valuable insight to plan future product lines and marketing campaigns."

Nobody from the Browns appeared on the list in 2015. Barnidge is the top-ranked Browns player on the list for 2016, appearing at No. 28. Rookie WR Corey Coleman is the only other Browns player represented, coming in at No. 38. Players who sell well already (i.e. CB Joe Haden) aren't going to be considered for the list since they are already a top-seller.