LAS VEGAS — The Browns already boast one of the most talented running back rooms in the NFL, and it's about to get a little more crowded.
With the 156th overall pick in the fifth round of this year's draft, Cleveland has selected Jerome Ford out of Cincinnati. The 22-year-old becomes the seventh back on the roster, which includes Pro Bowlers Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt.
RELATED: More Browns coverage from WKYC
Originally a four-star recruit out of Florida, Ford saw limited playing time in two seasons at Alabama before transferring to UC in 2020. He finally burst on the scene as a senior in 2021, when he rushed for 1,319 yards (6.1 yards per carry) and 19 touchdowns to earn first-team All-American Athletic Conference honors and help the Bearcats to an unbeaten regular season and a College Football Playoff berth.
Ford sits at 5-foot-10 1/2 and 210 pounds, which would make him the Browns' second-smallest running back. Besides leading rusher Chubb and the accomplished Hunt, D'Ernest Johnson was second on the team with 534 yards last season and hybrid Demetric Felton was a sixth-round pick a year ago, while Tre Harbison and John Kelly round out the roster.
Here's what NFL Network analyst Lance Zierlein had to say about Ford:
"Well-built back with NFL size and athletic ability but the vision and creativity are just OK. Ford lacks the desired instincts and recognition of run-lane development, but he's fast, strong and athletic. He has the tools to find yards with those traits. He's a talented, explosive option out of the backfield with soft hands and the speed to mismatch linebackers out in space. The pieces aren't all in place, but Ford could have a future as a change-of-pace slasher with third-down value."
The Browns were originally not slated to select in the fifth round, but acquired the pick when they sent the 118th choice in the fourth round to the Minnesota Vikings. Cleveland will also get a fourth-round pick in 2023.
