Hayes Pullard to Browns: Full Draft-Pick Breakdown

Apparently Cleveland Browns general manager Ray Farmer is intent on creating a locker room where everyone is a captain. 

The majority of the Browns selections in this draft have been captains, and Pullard is no exception. In fact, he was a two-time team captain for the Trojans and an unquestioned leader in their locker room.

ESPN Scouts Inc. confirms that Pullard fits Farmer's character criteria:

"

Respectful and mature individual. Accountable, and handles his responsibilities on and off the field. Loves football. Vocal on the field, and has developed into a leader for the younger players... Active in community service, and spent five days in Haiti in the spring of 2012 to rebuild homes.

"

On the field, Pullard will compete for playing time at inside linebacker, where the Browns were looking for depth and potentially someone to push Craig Robertson and Christian Kirksey for playing time. 

A season ago, Kirksey, Robertson and Karlos Dansby accounted for all but 12 snaps at inside linebacker, according to Pro Football Focus. As a result, it may be difficult for a seventh-round pick to crack that lineup. 

In order for Pullard to make the Browns 53-man roster he will likely need to win a job on special teams, which is where his experience at USC hurts him. Normally, being a four-year starter gives a prospect excellent experience, but in Pullard's case, it limited his exposure to special teams duties. 

"

Hayes Pullard will be one heckuva special teamer for the #Browns

— Dane Brugler (@dpbrugler) May 2, 2015"

Pullard recently wrote a "cover letter" to NFL teams for The Player's Tribune. In his letter, he addressed his future on special teams:

"

I understand I’m going to start off playing special teams. I have every intention of making plays in that role. The Pac-12 is all about speed and being able to cover open space, and the same could be said of covering kicks on a special teams unit. I want to become a standout in that capacity and expand my role on the team from there.

"

Unfortunately for Pullard, his strength as an inside linebacker is in coverage, which isn't really an area in which the Browns are lacking. Dansby, Robertson and Kirksey all received positive coverage grades from PFF a season ago.

Additionally, Pullard's run defense is questionable, and he was rarely at the line of scrimmage making plays while at USC. Instead, he was more of the clean-up tackler for the Trojans, tracking the ball-carrier down after he had already reached the second level and picked up a chuck of yardage. 

His ability to make plays in pursuit is certainly a positive trait for a linebacker, but the Browns are lacking that guy who can step up and shed blocks at the line of scrimmage. 

Pullard will be in competition with Tank Carder, who was the Browns fourth inside linebacker a season ago but played primarily on special teams. 

If Pullard loses the battle with Carder, it's unlikely that he'll make it past the Browns' final round of roster cuts and would ideally be given an opportunity on the practice squad. 

It's hard to argue with any seventh-round selection, and since Pullard had draftable grades from most analysts (he was Todd McShay's fifth-ranked inside linebacker), the value of the pick was strong. Even if Pullard never sees the field, he addresses an area the team wanted to target late in the draft and meets all of their targeted traits for a prospect. 

Grade: A

Ryan McCrystal is an NFL draft Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report.

Follow @Ryan_McCrystal