Who Is The New WRU? The Browns Are Most of LSU's Case
As Reid Foster and Gary Gramling continue their look at which schools deserve the title of being the modern position U, the focus turns to wide receivers. The top schools in this category aren't going to shock anyone and Clemson narrowly edges out Ohio State for the top spot. The Tigers are carried by the accomplishments by DeAndre Hopkins while Michael Thomas is doing the lion's share of work for the Buckeyes.
LSU finished third according to their data and the Cleveland Browns illustrate a big reason why, having both receivers that were selected in the 2014 NFL Draft, neither of which were acquired through the draft. Both came as the result of trades with Landry coming from the Miami Dolphins and Beckham from the New York Giants.
Landry is slightly edged out in terms of starts by Brandon LaFell in starts, simply because LaFell entered the league in 2010 where Landry started in 2014. Clearly, in terms of their impact in the NFL, Beckham and Landry are the top two receivers out of LSU, doing the heavy lifting for the school in this argument.
The first year with Landry and Beckham didn't go as planned for the Browns, which is safe to say about almost anything for the Browns in 2019. Both players received individual honors and Landry had arguably the second best season of his career, but each dealt with debilitating injuries for the breadth of the season. Landry dealt with a hip injury that resulted in surgery that could impact his 2020 season.
Beckham played with a groin issue that has been addressed surgically and he may be close to being back to fully healthy. The 2020 season will definitely be unique and altered, but the Browns are hoping for a healthier, truer representation of what the Bayou Bengals are capable of and what the Browns envisioned when they added them.
