BEREA, Ohio – Isaiah Crowell invited about 20 people to his parents' Georgia home in early May to celebrate a phone call that never came.

One by one the picks from rounds four through seven of the 2014 NFL Draft flashed across the television screen. Each selection sparked rapturous reactions in other living rooms across the nation and stabs of disappointment in his own.

The Alabama State product knew the off-field transgressions during his freshman season at Georgia would force him to wait. But as the rounds passed, the air of conviviality was sucked from his house like a party balloon with a slow leak.

Three years earlier Crowell had won the Associated Press' SEC Freshman of the Year honor ahead of Jadeveon Clowney. The South Carolina defensive lineman went No. 1 overall to the Texans. Crowell went undrafted – 22 running backs chosen ahead of him.

"I was really upset," he said. "I was taken aback by it because I felt I was better than a lot of the running backs that did get drafted."

Five minutes after the final round concluded his cell phone rang. The voice was a familiar one. It belonged to Ray Farmer.

The Browns general manager, who had spoken to Crowell at the scouting combine, sensed the hurt and kept the conversation brief. He wanted to sign the small-college halfback as an undrafted free agent and thought the Browns offered a good system fit. Farmer disconnected without getting a commitment.

More than 20 teams contacted Crowell's agents about potentially signing him. Only one made the effort to call their 21-year-old client.

"Ray was the only one who reached out to me personally and I appreciated that," he said.

Over the next 45 minutes, Crowell, his representatives and family narrowed the choices to four finalists. They examined depth charts, contractual commitments and schemes. Crowell's mind reeled.

How had he fallen so far in the eyes of NFL personnel and what would it take for him to succeed at the next level?

'Saving Jesus of Georgia'

The humbling events of May 10 stood in sharp contrast to his transition from prep star to prized college recruit.

Scouts.com considered Crowell, who played at Carver High in Columbus, Ga., the nation's top-rated running back, while Rivals.com ranked him fourth.

During his recruiting trip to Georgia, Bulldogs coach Mark Richt had Crowell and his mother, Debbie, peer out his office window onto the practice field, according to an Atlanta Journal Constitution report. They saw the Bulldogs' offense lined up in formation missing only one player, a running back. Richt escorted the recruit to the field, handed him a Georgia jersey with his name on it and asked whether he wanted the spot.

ESPNU carried live Crowell's decision to pick Georgia over Alabama. After pulling a Georgia cap out of his backpack and placing it on his braided hair, a friend handed him a bulldog puppy swaddled in school colors. Crowell represented the signature commitment to what some labeled the Bulldogs' "Dream Team" recruiting class.

"Isaiah had been ordained the saving Jesus of Georgia," one observer told cleveland.com.

Crowell rushed for 850 yards and five touchdowns in 2011, but his off-field behavior quickly became an issue in Athens. He was benched for the first quarter of the Vanderbilt game for an undisclosed disciplinary infraction and sat out the New Mexico State game for reportedly failing a drug test.

"It was immaturity," Crowell said. "It was being around the wrong people at the wrong time."

In June 2012, he agreed to be a designated driver for four teammates who had been drinking. His car was stopped at a campus checkpoint and, according to a police report, an officer searched it after smelling marijuana.

A 9-mm Luger handgun was found under the driver's seat and authorities charged Crowell with possessing a concealed weapon, having a weapon in a school zone and an altered ID mark on the weapon.

He told the Journal Constitution early this year that he had frequently loaned his car to friends and family members and was shocked to see the gun.

"That night I figured it was 50-50 whether Georgia would keep me on the team," Crowell told Cleveland.com.

Within 10 month all charges were dropped as prosecutors could not prove "knowing possession beyond a reasonable doubt." By then, however, Georgia dismissed the recruit they had worked so hard to woo.

Crowell knew he'd resume his football career. His biggest concern, he said, was making things right with his family. During this period, a close friend had been killed in a car accident and a nephew, raised in the family house, died from sickle cell anemia.

"It was all weighing on me," he said.

He was troubled by how his actions and attitude reflected on his parents, who had raised him in a middle-class home. His father, Andrew, ran a lawn-care service. Debbie tended to elderly patients in a retirement community.

"I felt like I had let them down," Crowell said. "It was one of their great disappointments. One of my goals was to get back on track and make them proud of me again."

A second chance

Ray Farmer became aware of Crowell a year ago this month. The Browns had traded Trent Richardson and were enduring a miserable season in part because they couldn't run the ball.

Farmer was working as the franchise's assistant general manager and scouting for talent. He had developed trusted contacts in Georgia and Alabama and spoke to them about Crowell, who transferred to Alabama State in 2012. One was Reggie Barlow, the Hornets coach and former NFL receiver.

After being dismissed from Georgia, Isaiah Crowell earned a second chance at Alabama State, where he played two seasons.

Barlow considered Crowell the best running back in the 2014 draft class. He likened him to former Jaguars star Fred Taylor, a "downhill runner" with a tremendous burst. Crowell rushed for 1,121 yards and 15 touchdowns on 170 carries last season.

Coach and player bonded. They spoke frequently about what Crowell needed to accomplish to make it in the NFL. The running back had no off-field troubles at Alabama State and left following his junior season 18 college credits shy of a degree in criminal justice.

"Reggie's help was priceless," said Crowell's agent Kevin T. Conner of Universal Sports & Entertainment Management. "He not only gave Isaiah a second chance, but he provided valuable insight having played for (seven) seasons in the league."

Conner and his partner Robert Brown signed Crowell in January. They dispatched him to EXOS, a training facility near Pensacola, Fla., where he prepared for the scouting combine alongside top-flight prospects like Clowney and his former Georgia quarterback Aaron Murray. The muscular 5-foot-11 back bulked up to 225 pounds.

Beyond honing his body, Crowell worked to reshape his image with former Falcons general manager Ken Herock, who coached the halfback on questions to anticipate from NFL personnel about his conduct and attitude.

CBS Sports draft expert Dane Brugler -- who rated Crowell the seventh-best halfback prospect -- addressed them in his annual draft preview guide:

Crowell dominated the lower level of competition with outstanding lower body explosion and the quick, slippery lateral footwork to be a dynamic big play waiting to happen . . . but Crowell also spent time in the coaches' doghouse at Georgia and Alabama State for his lax, self-serving attitude . . .

Crowell is arguably the most gifted RB in this draft class with the NFL talent to be an impact starter and be as good as he wants, but needs to develop a professional demeanor, keep his nose clean and come to work every day with the same drive."

Another signing day

The halfback met formally with three teams, the Browns, Dolphins and Raiders, at the combine in February.

Farmer, coach Mike Pettine and running backs coach Wilbert Montgomery were part of the Browns contingent peppering him with questions inside a hotel conference room for 15 minutes. Inquiries into his character and work ethic were made.

A league source told cleveland.com the Browns thought Crowell was truthful and had a "good heart." Farmer spoke to him in passing three more times during the week in Indianapolis.

General manager and coach began revamping the Browns' woeful running game the following month, signing Ben Tate to a two-year, free-agent deal. Two months later, they drafted guard Joel Bitonio in the second round and added halfback Terrance West in the third.

Crowell was one of 17 names left on the Browns' draft board as the event ended. Farmer wasted no time contacting him. In rating the merits of the four finalists, the Crowells liked the wide-zone blocking scheme, the fact the Browns were committed to Tate for just two years and Farmer's aggressiveness.

Within an hour, the two sides agreed to terms which, according to Spotrac.com, included a $10,000 signing bonus.

"I was still disappointed I didn't get drafted, but I was relieved knowing the Browns wanted me and I knew where I was going," the player said.

'The bat, the crow or whatever'

Crowell arrived in Berea to find himself at the bottom of a crowded running-back depth chart. Dion Lewis, Edwin Baker and Chris Ogbonnaya were among the veterans vying for the role of No. 3 back behind Tate and West.

A hamstring injury limited Crowell in spring and old concerns about his practice habits surfaced in training camp. Montgomery said the talent was evident, but the sense of urgency waned at times. Crowell grew frustrated as exhibition games began and he received scant playing time.

Browns running back Isaiah Crowell is tied for the NFL lead with three rushing touchdowns.

Farmer summoned him to his office twice during camp and spoke about the team's expectations. They watched practice film together and the general manager illustrated the need to finish plays and maintain a high level of intensity.

The second meeting included his agents via a conference call. The message: Crowell can be special, but he must "practice special" all the time. Conner pointed to that chat as a turning point.

In the days prior to the final preseason game, Pettine told reporters Lewis was close to securing the No. 3 back spot. Crowell, however, forced a change in plans with a 102-yard rushing performance against the Bears that featured a 48-yard TD run.

In the locker room, Crowell spoke at length to his mother. The ball he carried into the end zone was being shipped home to her. True to his word, he had made his parents proud again.

"It blows my mind how far I've come," he said Wednesday. "I didn't know if I was going to make the team. But I knew once I got a chance to show them what I could do, I was going to show them . . . I still feel like I got a lot to prove."

Despite a knee injury to Tate in the season opener, the Browns rank 10th in rushing (132.7 yard per game) thanks to the play of West and Crowell. The youngsters are not only running effectively, but have been decent in pass protection.

The Browns' Terrance West and Isaiah Crowell rank first and second in rookie rushing.

West leads all NFL rookies in rushing with 204 yards and two TDs on 47 carries. Crowell is second with 141 yards and three TDs on 27 carries.

The big backs possess distinct running styles. West looks to make defenders miss. Crowell attacks holes with speed and malevolence. Like Miguel Cabrera's bat cutting through a strike zone.

Don't be surprised to see No. 34 getting more carries even as Tate is expected to return soon as the starter. On Sunday, the Browns scoreboard operator started flashing images of flying crows after productive carries against the Ravens.

"I saw the bat, the crow or whatever flying in my name . . ., " said the halfback nicknamed Crow since college. "Yeah, it gets me hyped just to know somebody took (the) time just to give me something like that, just thought about it."

Crowell remains raw and Montgomery says parts of his game like running pass routes need improving. Still, he looks like one of the steals in the 2014 rookie class.

You might think Farmer would put his arm around the kid and tell him how well he's meeting expectations. Instead, the general manager uses each performance to fuel his desire to play better.

Four months removed from draft-day disappointment, the Browns hope the party is just getting started for Isaiah Crowell.