Toledo running back and Willoughby, Ohio native Kareem Hunt speaks at the 2017 NFL Combine in Indianapolis. / (Photo by Daryl Ruiter CBS Cleveland)

INDIANAPOLIS (92.3 The Fan) – When Kareem Hunt was a junior at Willoughby South High School he started to see his football future in front of him.

It had opened up as wide as the lanes in which he blew by defenders on his way to the endzone in the tall grass at Harry E. Winters Stadium. He carried that talent to Toledo where he ran for 4,945 yards and and 44 touchdowns in 4 seasons while averaging 6.3 yards per carry for the Rockets.

Now he’s in Indianapolis on the precipice of an opportunity to play in the National Football League and become the first player to be drafted out of Toledo in nearly a decade. Maybe, just maybe he’ll end up with the team he grew up loving unconditionally, the Browns.

“It would mean a lot,” Hunt said if the Browns were to pick him in the draft next month. “I’d be home.”

Hunt grew up in the expansion-era where wins for the Browns have been few and far between but that didn’t douse his fandom.

“I’m going to be a Browns fan till I die,” Hunt said.

Hunt has formed a bond with one of the stalwarts from the last golden age for the Browns in the late 80’s and early 90’s, running back Earnest Byner.

“Earnest Byner’s a great coach and he was a Browns back for a long time,” Hunt said. “I just feel he taught me a lot about the game, just about reading defenses, drawing up defenses, doing all that stuff.

“He gave me a lot of great info and he’s just a guy who really wants the best [for me] and I appreciate everything he’s done.”

Byner texted Hunt Thursday morning to wish him well as he continues his journey from the east side of Cleveland to the NFL.

Thursday night Hunt will sit down with the Browns after meeting Wednesday evening with Browns running backs coach Kirby Wilson informally.

Hunt feels like he’s one of the best backs in the class, and his film doesn’t lie.

“I’m a guy who can make a lot of guys miss, I believe,” Hunt said. “Pretty explosive and I like to think that I can just help a team at any point in time and be a game-changer.”