Mario Alford

Mario Alford returns a kick against the Bills.

(Bill Wippert, Associated Press)

BEREA, Ohio -- The Browns' newest return man, Mario Alford, calls himself a risk taker.

"A good risk taker," he clarified. "I don't want to do nothing crazy."

"I am always for the risk taker, the smart risk taker," special teams coordinator Chris Tabor said last week when asked about Alford grabbing a bouncing football, spinning out of a tackle for a 12-yard return vs. Buffalo. "That was a good play by him because had he just let the ball roll, that gunner is going to be there and probably wait for it to stop about the 3-yard line. He picks it up and goes around the corner and we start the drive at the 31 or 32 yard line. That was a good play by him."

Alford has been thrown into the fire as a return man. He was added to the practice squad the week prior to the game in Buffalo, was elevated to the active roster the day before the game and was back to receive the opening kickoff.

"The Browns called me and were like, 'Hey, we want to sign you to the practice squad. When you get here, work your way up, see if you can be our return guy,'" Alford recalled. "So I came in, caught the ball well. From there, that's kind of how it happened."

Alford and his speed have certainly given the moribund return game a boost, but who is he? Here are a few more things to know about the speedster out of West Virginia.

He's one of 14 kids

Not only that: Alford's the baby.

"I was pretty much spoiled," he said. "Everybody used to always try to baby me, so it was fun."

Alford grew up in Greenville, Georgia, about 60 miles southwest of Atlanta. His dad, Wardell, worked at Georgia Pacific, providing for his mother, Mildred, and all those kids.

"Salute to my mom, my dad, I don't see how they did it, honestly," Alford said. "Growing up, everyone was stable. We didn't have much, but we had because my father, he worked all the time, so he provided us whatever we needed."

Wardell passed away last December. Alford said that it meant a lot that his dad was able to see him get drafted.

"I wish he was here for this day," Alford said, "we'd still be celebrating. It means a lot. I know he's proud of me, looking down on me. It means a lot."

He was originally going to play college football for Arizona

Alford was a highly-rated JUCO prospect who was on his way to play for the Wildcats after transferring from Georgia Military College. That changed, though, all thanks to one man: Tony Gibson.

Gibson was the assistant coach at Arizona who got Alford to commit, but then Gibson ended up taking a job with West Virginia. So Alford followed him.

"He was my guy, so I decommitted with him and (went to) West Virginia," Alford said.

It was a particularly good fit for Alford because, even though he grew up in SEC country, the style of football in the Big 12 was most appealing.

"I liked the Air Raid, so I knew the Big 12, that's all they did," he said. "SEC's more of a downhill, hit the nose, so I wanted someone who was going to get the ball out, stretch the field, throw it in the air more."

That's not to say that he didn't get his shot to face some SEC competition. He returned a kickoff 100 yards against Alabama in the Mountaineers season opener in 2014.

He ran a 4.27 40-yard dash at his Pro Day

"I didn't run well at the (NFL Scouting) combine," Alford said when asked about the draft process that ended in him getting selected in the seventh round by the Bengals. "That's OK, I made it up at Pro Day."

Did he ever. According to NFL.com's Bryan Fischer, he ran 4.27 in the 40, .16 faster than his combine time.

Cincinnati selected him 238th overall. The 5-8 Alford thinks a lot of teams overlooked him because of his height. Alford appeared in just one game his rookie season, against the Browns, when he caught one pass for 15 yards.

Alford got work during the Bengals' first preseason game as a kickoff and punt returner, but he injured his ankle and was eventually waived on Sept. 3.

"I'm sure if I wouldn't have got hurt at the Bengals, I'm sure I would have been the return guy," Alford said.

Instead, he had to play the NFL's waiting game. The Jets added him to their practice squad on Nov. 16. He wasn't there long -- the Jets waived him Dec. 6 and the Browns picked him up a week later.

It's all Hue you know

Alford can partially credit his time with the Bengals and then-offensive coordinator Hue Jackson with ending up here.

"Hue's my guy," Alford said. "He was at Cincinnati. He always told me I'm going to be a hell of a player some day. He told me just keep fighting, keep working, looking up to the older guys."

That message sounds familiar if fans have been listening to players talk about Jackson this season. Jackson's personality and approach really speak to a player like Alford.

"Hue's an inspiration, man," Alford said. "He's a fighter. He don't want the big name guys, you feel me? He wants the guys who don't have any name and make them to a brand. I love Hue a lot."

Even moreso now because Jackson and the Browns are giving him a shot.

"When I get out there on the field, I look back at the time when I was sitting at home, when I was watching everybody else on Sunday," Alford said. "Now it's like, I'm here now and I'm going to prove to all 31 other teams why you should have all ... picked me up. I'm going to give them something to remember."

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