BEREA, Ohio — Browns offensive coordinator Tommy Rees has added a new coaching point this season thanks to rookie tight end Harold Fannin Jr.
“Unbelievable,” Rees said. “We try to tell our guys, like when you think Harold’s being tackled, he’s probably not. So, keep playing through the play and keep blocking for him and keep hustling because that block could be the difference of a 12-yard gain and if we just stay with it, there’s nobody really left.”
Somehow, Fannin has made the bruising work of picking up yards after the catch — or YAC, as its lovingly abbreviated in football circles — into an artform.
On Sunday against the Raiders, it was evident in 17- and 15-yard catches, as he broke multiple tackles on each play. On the 17-yarder on first-and-10 in the first quarter, it took three Raiders defenders to bring him down.
“It’s motivating, because when nobody’s fighting, Harold is always fighting,” rookie running back Dylan Sampson said. “Regardless of the score, regardless of the game. So it is a testament to him and just his mindset and how he attacks the various roles that they are asking him to do on this offense at a very young age.”
For Fannin, it’s motivating knowing his YAC ability helps fuel his teammates.
“That’s good to hear that I inspire other people in this locker room,” he told cleveland.com. “I mean, I wouldn’t think that just because we all are in NFL, but that’s good to hear.”
Against the Raiders, Fannin finished catching four of six targets with 40 yards.
According to Pro Football Focus tracking data, however, he actually picked up 44 yards after the catch, thanks to passes caught behind the line of scrimmage.
Among qualifying rookie tight ends, he’s second with 241 yards after the catch for the season and averages 5 yards per reception. He leads the Browns in that category too.
So what exactly is it about Fannin that allows him to be so successful once the ball is in his hand?
“I guess it is a mentality,” Fannin said. “I used to grow up playing running back and things like that. So every time I get the ball, I just try to fall forward. That’s really it. That’s just really it. I just try to fall forward.”
The first consensus All-American in Bowling Green State University program history, he led the FBS with 117 receptions and 1,555 receiving yards (both single-season FBS TE records) last year.
After the Browns selected him at No. 67 in April, Browns GM Andrew Berry called him their “queen on the chessboard” and praised him for being a good ball-in-hand player.
It’s traits Fannin continues to show, even amid a down season for the 3-8 Browns.
“He’s got tremendous body control, he’s got tremendous contact balance and strength,” Rees said. “It’s kind of just one of those innate things that he has. I don’t have a great reason why he’s able to do that other than he’s strong and he’s got good balance, and he’s got a real will to him on fighting through those plays and finding ways to maximize yardage. It’s really an impressive trait.”
In a season short on bright spots, Fannin’s constant fight after the catch has become one thing the Browns can still count on — a rookie refusing to go down, no matter how many hits come his way.
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