Cleveland Browns: 3 rookies with unrealistic expectations for 2021

1. Greg Newsome II

First-round picks are almost always expected to provide quality play right away, but some positions take longer to make an impact than others. Cornerback has historically been a spot where rookies struggle, especially when those rookies enter the league with as little experience as Newsome has.

Because of injuries, Newsome logged only 694 coverage snaps throughout his career. For reference, Patrick Peterson played 691 coverage snaps for the Arizona Cardinals just last season.

Late first-round pick, little collegiate experience, plays cornerback, and struggles with grabbiness at the top of routes. That’s Newsome’s profile at the moment, and while he is ridiculously talented and should be a great player moving forward, it may not be as a rookie. In fact, he may not even start.

Greedy Williams is the incumbent starter opposite Denzel Ward, and while he missed all of 2020 with a nerve injury in his shoulder, he is participating in the offseason program thus far. He has a year of NFL experience (and it was better than most remember it being), and that means a lot.

Newsome may not start, but he will see the field quite often as a rookie. Just don’t expect him to be a really good starter from day one.