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Browns Mailbag

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Browns Mailbag: Who has the inside track to be Browns' No. 1 WR?

On this day without any professional sports in action, we're keeping the Browns talk flowing with four questions from this week's Mailbag.

What are the chances that Corey Coleman is our No. 1 receiver going into the regular season? - Aaron P., Zanesville

At this time last year, the same question could have been asked about anyone in the Browns' receiving room. Though Travis Benjamin had notched an impressive spring, it was unclear if it'd translate to his work at receiver, where he'd recorded just 717 yards in the previous three seasons combined. Brian Hartline had two 1,000-yard campaigns in his past but had recorded fewer than 1,000 yards in the previous two seasons combined. Andrew Hawkins was coming off a season in which he led the team in receiving yards but was poised to play more from the slot.

Ultimately, it was Benjamin in a breakout season, Hartline a solid No. 2 before his season ended prematurely with an injury and Hawkins with 276 yards in a season marred by multiple concussions.

Of the three, only Hawkins is back. And the Browns wide receiver room currently boasts six players, Coleman among them, who have never caught a pass in the NFL.

That's a long way of saying yes, Coleman is certainly poised to lead this group in 2016 but recent history shows "expecting the unexpected" might be the best course of action with Cleveland wide receivers. If it's Coleman or anyone else but Hawkins, the Browns will have their fourth different leading wide receiver in the last four seasons. And as tough as the adjustment from college to the NFL can be, there's recent history on Coleman's side that says he can have this type of impact as a rookie. The top-selected wide receiver in the past two drafts -- Sammy Watkins (2014) and Amari Cooper (2015) -- easily led their respective franchises in receiving by the end of their rookie season.

Coleman can't just rely on history and draft status, of course. He'll need to maintain and build upon the positive momentum he generated throughout the spring.

"He's a tremendous player," Browns coach Hue Jackson said. "He's going to be pretty 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. 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."

Will Coach Hue attempt two-point conversions regularly? I can envision Terrelle Pryor being matched up with a 5-10 corner and Hue taking advantage of it. - Cameron C., Canton

Jackson hasn't commented much on the team's plans after scoring touchdowns and I can't imagine he will because those are the kinds of things coaches keep close to the vest. Last season, the first in which extra points were in their current location, the Bengals attempted just one two-point conversion while kicker Mike Nugent attempted 49 extra points.

Do you think Dylan Wynn will make the team? - Del A., Cleveland

Wynn was a spark plug at training camp last year and came very close to landing a spot on the 53-man roster. He's got a year of practice squad experience under his belt and is certainly someone to monitor throughout his second training camp. The Browns defensive line room might be a tough one to crack, though, as the group returns most of its members from last season's team while adding third-round pick Carl Nassib.

If the Browns are greatly improved this year, how many wins will it take to win the AFC North? - Tom V., Chattanooga, Tennessee

The safe answer is 11 or more, especially in a division as competitive as the North. A team has won the AFC North with 10 wins just four times since 2002 and hasn't with fewer than 10 since 1990, when it was then known as the AFC Central.

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