isaiah crowell.jpg

Cleveland Browns running back Isaiah Crowell takes a handoff from quarterback Robert Griffin III during practice on May 18, 2016, in Berea, Ohio.

(AP Photo)

Former Alabama State running back Isaiah Crowell is heading for a "sensational" NFL season in 2016, Cleveland Browns coach Hue Jackson said.

Cleveland made 14 choices in the 2016 NFL Draft and didn't use any of them on running backs, even though the Browns finished 22nd in the NFL in rushing yards last season and had only five rushing TDs in 2015.

"I've been getting so much mail or phones calls with people saying, 'Well, wait a minute, why don't you guys have a running back?'" Jackson told WKRK-FM 92.3 in Cleveland. "I really think Isaiah Crowell is a really good running back. I think he's going to have a sensational season. I really do. ... Obviously, Isaiah is very explosive. He's got quick feet. He's fast in the hole. He runs with good pad level.''

Crowell earned a spot with Cleveland as an undrafted rookie in 2014, when he ran for 607 yards and eight touchdowns. Last season, Crowell led the Browns with 706 rushing yards, but his TD total dropped to four and he averaged only 3.8 yards per carry.

Over the final five games of the season, though, Crowell ran for 371 yards and three touchdowns and averaged 5.2 yards per carry.

"I'm very excited about it because I know Hue likes to run the ball," Crowell said about playing for Jackson. "And I feel like running the ball is a very important factor in winning and losing. I'm just, basically, happy about it."

Jackson heads into his first season as Cleveland's coach after serving as Cincinnati's offensive coordinator. The Bengals finished 13th in the NFL in rushing in 2015. In 2014, Cincinnati ranked sixth in the league in rushing. When Jackson was Oakland's head coach in 2011, the Raiders ranked seventh in the NFL in rushing. In 2010, with Jackson as the offensive coordinator, Oakland ranked second in rushing.

Projections have Robert Griffin III as the Browns' quarterback in 2016. Cleveland signed the 2011 Heisman Trophy winner after he was released by the Washington Redskins.

The Browns also have quarterbacks Josh McCown, who started eight games for Cleveland last season; former Southern Miss star Austin Davis, who started two games for the Browns in 2015; former South Carolina standout Connor Shaw and Cody Kessler, drafted in the third round from Southern Cal on April 29.

"I think when you look at coach Jackson's background, he is a quarterback guru," Cleveland running backs coach Kirby Wilson said. "He has done a tremendous job over the years with that. But if you look at his record, in terms of running the football and the amount that he runs it, you're going to find out that he really, truly does enjoy running the football. We are going to be a run-oriented football team. Everything starts with the run game, our offensive line and our backs. As coach told us, we are going to be a physically dominant, running football team."

Crowell divided Cleveland's running-back duties with Duke Johnson last season. Johnson had 379 rushing yards and caught 61 passes for 534 yards and two touchdowns in 2015. Only former Alabama star Amari Cooper of the Oakland Raiders caught more passes than Johnson among NFL rookies last season.

"Those two guys are as good as I've seen in a while,'' Jackson said. "Their talent is extreme."

Crowell said he and Johnson can be a top tandem.

"I feel like me and Duke both have what it takes to be a big threat on this level," Crowell said. "We want to go out there and give them all we've got."

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The Browns start their third week of Organized Team Activities on Tuesday. Next week, Cleveland will hold its mandatory minicamp June 7-9 before breaking until training camp.