Cleveland Browns: 3 busts from 2020 that will flourish in 2021

2.  Mack Wilson

One of the biggest struggles last season for the Cleveland Browns was at linebacker. After showing promise as a rookie, Mack Wilson really struggled in year two of his NFL career. He looked slower when moving around the field and looked like he was often overthinking instead of just playing the game.

After starting 14 games with 82 tackles, four tackles for loss including a sack, and an interception as a rookie, Wilson only started 8 games and had 39 tackles in year two. Why the step back? A knee injury in training camp that he never recovered from.

Wilson will never be a top-five (or even 10) linebacker in the NFL, but what you saw last year was certainly not him. He’s a fighter, so he pushed too hard to be on the field, and his output was severely limited because of that. Remember, when he was first injured, the first opinion was he would miss the entire year because of surgery.

With a full offseason to train and get healthy, it will be a huge year for Wilson. He may only get 50 percent of the defensive snaps with Anthony Walker, Jacob Phillips, and Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah on the roster, but when he is on the field look for him to make an impact. Let’s not forget, injuries happen in the NFL and a little depth at any position is huge.

Prediction: Wilson will be the swing linebacker filling in for injuries at times and will be significantly improved. 75 tackles an interception and a vocal leader in the locker room.