Ricardo Louis

Ricardo Louis meets with the media during Browns rookie minicamp on Friday.

(John Kuntz, cleveland.com)

BEREA, Ohio -- Ricardo Louis hasn't been here long, but he's already getting excited at the possibility of playing in head coach Hue Jackson's offense.

"I have a feeling that he likes to go deep and make explosive plays," Louis said on Friday of playing in Jackson's system, "get the ball in his playmakers' hands and just make plays down the field."

Louis, picked in the fourth round by the Browns (114th overall) knows a thing or two about big plays. He made a bunch of them during four seasons at Auburn, averaging 15.6 yards per catch in 2015 with a long of 56 yards.

Louis biggest play -- the play he will always be remembered for by Auburn fans -- was his catch during the 2013 season of a tipped pass against Georgia on fourth down with 25 seconds left. That catch gave Auburn a 43-38 win and kept an improbable season going for the Tigers.

"Oh man, that game was just a blessing for me," Louis said on a conference call after the Browns drafted him in April. "Being able to be a part of a magical season like that and making the plays to help propel us to the National Championship, SEC Championship and everything that came after that kind of helped me become the person I am today. I learned a lot of lessons just from that one play."

That catch preceded, by one game, the kick six against Alabama, a play in which Chris Davis returned a missed field goal by the Crimson Tide 109 yards as time expired to beat the then-No. 1 team in the country. Auburn would ride those two miracles all the way to that season's BCS National Championship Game, which they lost to Florida State.

"It was very big," Louis said on Friday of being a part of a season where everything seemed to go his team's way. "It was very magical to me because it was back-to-back, certain things that happened during the season, people were like, 'Whoa, that doesn't happen.' All that happened in one year, one team, and that was just from us wanting to win, finding ways to win, being hungry, like I said. It was a blessing to be a part of that."

And, just because everything SEC and Cleveland Browns has to come back to Johnny Manziel, Louis said that it was a game against the eventual Browns first-round pick that let him know something special was happening.

"I would say probably the Texas A&M game," Louis said. "That game we beat Johnny Manziel. He was the big Heisman winner and all that. We won that game. That's when we knew we could beat anybody after that game. When we started winning and winning it was like, 'Wow, we could go all the way.' And we did."

All of that matters because Louis, whose Tigers won 12 games that season alone, is joining a team that hasn't won 12 games the last two years combined. The other thing Louis knows, though, is turning around the fortunes of a program. Auburn went 3-9 his freshman season, the year before their run to the title game.

"Everybody was hungry," Louis said of the turnaround season. "The year before we went 3-9, had a bad taste in our mouth and we didn't want that to happen again. (Head coach Gus) Malzahn came in, jumped right in and he was hungry, too, and we just turned it around. We didn't want to lose. We wasn't into that anymore. We took it all the way. Unfortunately we lost in the (BCS Championship) game, but to turn around the program from 3-9 and not winning an SEC game was very big for us."

Cleveland Browns rookie receivers Jordan Payton (84), Ricardo Louis (80), Corey Coleman (19) and Rashard Higgins (81) at Browns rookie minicamp.

Now, of course, college is over and it's proving time for Louis. Malzahn's offense at Auburn isn't exactly known for its pro-style elements. Louis, much like first-round pick Corey Coleman, has work to do to become a receiver at this level. The Atlanta Falcons, in fact, asked Louis if he would be willing to play defensive back and had him do defensive back drills at his pro day.

"I would say that the Browns saw things from me that other teams didn't see," Louis said after getting drafted. "They understand that I was in a scheme at Auburn that didn't require me to run very many routes, very diverse or complex routes and the fact that I was not developed as receiver at the time. Going into the Combine, I wanted to prove to everybody that I was versatile and I was able to run routes and catch balls smooth and well. Doing that, looking ahead, they got to see that they can develop me and mold me into the receiver they want me to be."

Louis will have plenty of competition at his position as he learns how to operate in an NFL offense. The Browns drafted four wide receivers, including two after him -- UCLA's Jordan Payton with the 154th overall pick and Colorado State's Rashard Higgins with the 172nd selection. Louis said that having other draft picks at his position just means there's going to be some competition.

"The receivers that came in, we were talking, we all hungry," he said. "We all want to come in and make a huge impact and word around the locker room is everybody wants to win and everybody's mindset is focus on getting better and turn this thing around, so coming in as a rookie, that's the mindset we coming in with so we're going to fit right into the mold that Hue Jackson has put in."

Louis also said that each of the rookie class of receivers brings a unique skillset.

"Everybody comes and brings something different to the table," he said. "Corey's definitely fast, explosive. I'm fast, explosive. Rashard is very explosive, has great hands, runs great routes. All of us have something that we bring to the table that's different and when you play in an offense that's trying to turn it around, that has the ability to get you the ball and let you do something with it, that's great."

Which could be the separator for Louis -- what happens when he gets the ball. He registered 66 carries over the course of his final three seasons at Auburn, scoring twice and piling up 576 yards, an average of 8.7 yards per carry. Considering Jackson's penchant for getting his receivers the ball in different spots, there's potential for Louis to thrive.

"I think that (Jackson) knows that I've done that, rushing," Louis said, "so get the ball in my hands quick as possible, I'll do something with it -- take a hitch for 80 yards or something. That's what I've been working on and hopefully that's what I'll be able to do here."

One criticism Ricardo Louis has faced is his hands and his ability to consistently catch the ball.

Executive Vice President of Football Operations Sashi Brown called Louis a "big, fast, physical wide out, deep threat. I think he can add explosiveness to our receiving core," the night the Browns drafted him.

Jackson called him "another big, tall athlete who can really run and has tremendous speed. He has vertical ability and has made a lot of big plays. We all know what his average per catch was. It was over 17 yards. He's another guy that knows how to score the ball and has a chance to do some special things because of his athleticism and his ability to get vertical really fast."

So, get the ball in his hands and let things happen, right? There's just one problem. The hands. CBSsports.com Draft Analyst Dane Brugler wrote of Louis that he has "weak hands" and "too many 'almost catches' on his film."

How does Louis respond to that criticism?

"I'm just going to show them," Louis said. "Whatever people say, they say what they say. Everybody has their opinion, but when I go out there and make plays, what are they going to say then?"

If everything works out, Louis is hoping to say he's been a part of yet another miraculous turnaround.