BEREA: In less than four weeks, Browns rookie wide receiver Corey Coleman went from being publicly criticized to effusively praised by coach Hue Jackson.
After the first practice of rookie minicamp on May 13, Jackson called out Coleman for being gassed and challenged him to get into better shape.
After the final practice of mandatory minicamp Thursday, Jackson gushed about Coleman’s progress with such enthusiasm that he let out an “Oh, my God” to start an answer about the 15th overall pick in this year’s draft.
“He’s a tremendous player,” Jackson said. “He’s going to be really good. I ride him pretty hard because he has so much ability, and I want to get it out of him. He’s really shown why we drafted him in the first round. He is a tremendous talent, and if he keeps working like he is and stays as humble, and he has great desire to be a great football player, I think that’s going to happen for him.
“But he’s still got to earn it, he’s got to work for it, he’s got to fight for it to go get it, and I think he will.”
Coleman made several impressive catches in the last two practices. On Thursday, he hauled in a pass from quarterback Josh McCown on an in route and held on after falling to the ground. Coleman then sprinted to the end zone, and McCown chased him down to congratulate him.
The 5-foot-10⅝, 194-pound Coleman clearly has the innate ability to become a dynamic NFL playmaker, but the Browns must continue to mold him into a complete receiver. Although he led the NCAA with 20 touchdown catches last season, he didn’t run a full route tree at Baylor.
“Corey is what we thought he was,” wide receivers coach Al Saunders said. “He’s a talented football player, he’s got great speed, he’s got some great route-running ability. He just has had very limited background in his college days, and that’s what we’re here for is to make sure that he learns on a progressive basis and gets better and better.
“I’ve been really pleased with his attitude and really pleased with his effort. I think the Cleveland fans are going to be excited to see him when he gets up to speed in every phase of the game, and we’re looking forward to that also.”
Elite guard?
Coleman wasn’t the only one who felt a lot of love from Jackson as minicamp wrapped up.
Left guard Joel Bitonio received an unsolicited endorsement.
“I think Bitonio has the potential to be one of the better players in this league, bar none,” Jackson said.
The previous coaching staff raved about Bitonio as well. Former Browns coach Mike Pettine said last summer he thought Bitonio would position himself to be mentioned among the elite guards in the NFL. Instead, the 2014 second-round pick had an uneven season and missed six games with ankle injuries.
Now he’s giving offensive line coach Hal Hunter reasons to believe he can become a perennial Pro Bowl guard like two players with whom Hunter is familiar, Kris Dielman and Logan Mankins.
“Can he be that type of player? Yeah, he can be that type of player,” Hunter said. “He knows he’s not where he needs to be, but he knows where he wants to go.
“Joel has got real legitimate toughness, he’s smart, he’s competitive and he can move his feet and run. I’ll tell you the one thing I like about him the best: You only have to tell him once. You tell him once, he’s got it. You correct his technique one time, he’s got it.”
Roster moves
The Browns signed quarterback Cody Kessler to his rookie contract. They also signed kicker Patrick Murray, who tried out for them this week during mandatory minicamp, and waived undrafted rookie wide receiver Dennis Parks.
Kessler, a third-round draft pick (No. 93 overall) from the University of Southern California, received a four-year deal worth about $3.4 million, which includes about $1.1 million guaranteed with a signing bonus of about $660,000, a league source confirmed.
The Browns have signed 12 of their 14 draft picks. Only defensive end Carl Nassib (third round) and outside linebacker Joe Schobert (fourth round) have yet to sign.
As an undrafted rookie, Murray spent the 2014 season with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He made 20-of-24 field goals and all 31 extra-point kicks. But he was on injured reserve all of last season and cut by the Bucs last month.
Incumbent Browns kicker Travis Coons sat out mandatory minicamp with what Jackson described as “a little tweak.” Meanwhile, Murray capped a two-minute drill Wednesday with a successful 50-yard field goal. The Browns have wanted Coons to face competition this summer in training camp all along.
Farewell message
Jackson told his players he expects them to behave themselves during their summer vacation and be ready to hit the ground running when they report to training camp in late July.
He’ll worry about them in the meantime.
“It’s like you have a bunch of kids away from you,” he said. “I told them I love each and every one of them, and sometimes things happen, but my phone is always available.
“That’s part of being a professional is handling that downtime, or whatever you want to call it, the best way, the right way, so that you can be a part of this football team.”
Nate Ulrich can be reached at nulrich@thebeaconjournal.com. Read the Browns blog at www.ohio.com/browns. Follow him on Twitter at www.twitter.com/NateUlrichABJ and on Facebook www.facebook.com/abj.sports.