In the midst of another disappointing start to the season, the Cleveland Browns 2015 campaign has gone as poorly as it really could have. Their 1-3 start has been filled with subpar defensive performances and issues that often plague bad teams; issues like turnovers and penalties. But through the messy first month has been a breakout playmaker, wide receiver Travis Benjamin.Benjamins emergence as a legitimate top receiver has been years in the making. The former Miami Hurricane was mostly a gadget player in college. Hed see action on end-around run plays, go-routes and special teams.His speed has always been obvious, but the offensive playmaking wasnt. Despite running a blazing 4.36 40-yard dash, Benjamin fell to the 100thoverall pick in the 2012 NFL draft. Concerns with his rail-thin frame and ability to play anywhere but the Z receiver likely caused his fall.For the first three years of his career, Benjamin played to his scouting report. He was a burner that really made his mark on special teams. His explosive return abilities have made him one of the best returners across the league.If you needed more proof that you cant fully judge a draft class until three or four years down the line, look at Benjamin now. In his fourth season, and a contract year, Benjamins play has sharply improved. Hes set a career-high for receiving yards and touchdowns just one month into the season.Benjamins raw numbers look great on their own so far. Hes been targeted just 27 times, including 10 in each of the last two games. But that has resulted in 328 yards, four touchdowns and multiple big plays.Hes continued his dominance as a return man, too. Hes close to setting his career-high in punt return yards, with 214 on 12 returns. He notched his third career punt return touchdown against the Tennessee Titans in Week 2.Getting back to Benjamins development as a receiver is our focus, though. As the Browns have largely neglected upgrading their receiving corps in the draft and free agency, Benjamins growth is especially notable. Its not as if hes producing while working off of a true No. 1 receiver like Golden Tate has in Detroit, or Emmanuel Sanders in Denver.Instead, Benjamin is carrying a heavy burden in Cleveland. Not only has he been working with a very limited supporting receiver corps, but he also has one of the worst quarterback situations in the NFL. Nevertheless, hes helped both Josh McCown and Johnny Manziel look competent for stretches of play.There arent a lot of receivers across the NFL outside of the elite group that can do so much with so little. To help get a grasp of how well Benjamin is doing outside of the raw numbers, well use Football Outsiders and our own film study to take a look at what makes Benjamin so effective. This will include a route-tree breakdown to see when Benjamin is being targeted the most for usage purposes.Benjamins ImpactUsing Football Outsiders to get a grasp on the competition that Benjamin faced, we can see that Benjamin ranks very well. According to their DVOA ranks, which takes into account play-by-play efficiency of the receiver compared to an average receiver, Benjamin has been a top-three receiver in the league. Surely, his low target number compared to his total yardage helps him. No receiver can match Benjamins per-snap production besides James Jones of the Packers, and he has a much better surrounding cast to help.Football Outsiders also has Benjamins catch rate at a paltry 59 percent. That number means that hes rarely getting an accurate pass thrown his way. Compare that to Larry Fitzgeralds 82 percent catch rate and Antonio Browns 83 percent. Obviously, the Browns quarterback play hasnt been near the caliber of Carson Palmer or Ben Roethlisberger, respectively.To help quantify this information, I decided to chart all of Benjamins targets. Since the Browns quarterbacks tend to throw to their first or second read more often than most around the NFL, this helps predict how featured Benjamin will be, as well as has been, to this point. The results are below.The number of go-routes makes complete sense, seeing as Benjamins a deep burner that tracks the ball well. Not all speedy receivers can say that. What makes Benjamin more than just a toy and more of a game-breaking talent is his ability to win on other routes.His speed and sharp cutting makes defending him a very difficult task. Not only is there the constant threat of a double move to go deep, but he can gain yards after the catch with ease. He burned the San Diego Chargers after the catch on this 2nd-and-6crossing route.The ability to create an intermediate gain off of a short throw is a must for top receiving options. A vast majority of NFL receivers can make this catch, but the extra gear Benjamin has to scoot away from the tacklers and get upfield is what makes him special. But he is not purely reliant on speed.Against the Oakland Raiders in Week 3, Benjamin was relatively quiet. We didnt see the big, explosive play. Instead, Benjamin showed that he is tough, despite his diminutive weight and frame. Below is the touchdown reception he had off of a slant. Watch how hard he fights to finish the play.This shouldnt be taken for granted. Benjamin is making the most of his opportunities and putting his body at risk by fighting for every last inch on the field. His extra effort is yet another skill that is shared by other top playmakers.Nuance is needed to be a successful wide receiver over the long haul. Players who own their craft are far better over the test of time, even as physical gifts diminish. Since Benjamin has recovered from his ACL-tear in 2013, he has worked tirelessly to regain his explosiveness but also become a solid route-runner. This allows the Browns to run him on a variety of routes to keep the defenders off balance.To help illustrate Benjamins polish as a route-runner, take a look below. Facing one-on-one coverage, Benjamin stays balanced throughout his route and keeps his shoulders squared until the break in his route. His feet tell the story better. As Benjamin approaches his cut, he could have easily cut inside, where the cornerback incorrectly guessed by showing his hips too early.Benjamin earned this reception through deceiving the cornerback. There is no way a defender could recover from that position, especially factoring in Benjamins explosiveness. Even as he ages over the course of the next half-decade, his route precision will have him continuing to be successful.Of course, the fun plays are still going to be present for the foreseeable future. When the Browns were forced to play Johnny Manziel, there was an instant chemistry between Manziel and Benjamin. Manziels willingness to extend plays and heave deep passes plays right into Benjamins wheelhouse.Benjamin doesnt thrive in contested ball situations with his lack of bulk, but he is very good at adjusting to underthrown passes. Week 2 against the Titans offered a good glimpse of this ability on the opening drive for the Browns. Manziel bombs a pass around 60 yards, but it is slightly underthrown and drifts to the right of where Benjamin is heading. It didnt matter.Future ValueDetermining Travis Benjamins value as an upcoming free agent is a difficult one. Right now, his numbers are on pace to reach 1,312 yards and 16 touchdowns on just 64 receptions. That would be good for second in franchise history in terms of yards and touchdowns. Maybe Benjamin doesnt continue that success, but there is no doubt that he is a legitimate playmaker that will be paid.If we project modestly for Benjamin and say he reaches 1,100 yards receiving and eight touchdowns, he has some interesting comparisons. We cannot forget his return impact, as well, which should only increase his value to a franchise. Take a look at the table below for some monetary and production comparisons.In terms of comparisons, I looked for players with one big year of production but somewhat limited production outside of that. That didnt yield many examples. This is another factor when projecting a deal for Benjamin since hes peaking at the right time to get paid.Because of the unique situation Benjamin is in and the fact he can produce on special teams in spectacular factor, his asking price should fall within the parameters of Golden Tate and Torrey Smiths deal. Obviously, Tate showed great growth with Detroit after signing his big contract, and a new situation may similarly benefit Benjamin if he departs from Cleveland. A better quarterback situation wont be too hard to find.Ill project a five-year, $38-million deal for Benjamin. Hell hit unrestricted free agency at 26 years old, which is the same as Smith did this past spring. A reasonable guarantee would be around $20 million, again based off of the Tate and Smith comparison. The Browns may be able to get a discount if they can keep him off the unrestricted market with an early offer.Benjamins hard work and massive progression must be recognized by the Browns and their opponents. Hes now a legitimate starting receiver with a high ceiling to produce every week. Fantasy football players that snatched him off the waiver wire are reaping the benefits, just like the Browns are.All stats used are from sports-reference.com. Ian Wharton is an NFL Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report.Follow @NFLFilmStudy
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