Cleveland Browns: Rookies to Watch in Pre-Season Play
By Joe Wedra
May 26, 2015; Berea, OH, USA; Cleveland Browns wide receiver Vince Mayle (85) and wide receiver Dwayne Bowe (80) during organized team activities at the Cleveland Browns training facility. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports
The Cleveland Browns don’t quite get a large amount of talk concerning the NFL elite.
Despite legitimate leadership from Mike Pettine and his staff, the Browns and the Dawg Pound aren’t getting the national media love maybe deserved.
They get the attention, but you can chalk that up to ole’ Johnny Football … er, sorry. It’s Manziel now.
John Manziel.
Regardless, the rest of the roster and the 2015 outlook in general for Cleveland doesn’t appear as gloomy as advertised on the surface. Plenty of young rookies join the already stacked roster to potentially provide much needed depth for the middle-season stretch — weapons that might just move the needle in the right direction for Pettine and Co.
Without further ado, a few of those rookies who are worth a long look this pre-season.
Vince Mayle, WR
When you draft a skill position player in the 4th round, expectations have to be high — that’s the new NFL world we live in.
Long gone are the days where players in early mid-rounds have several years to develop before showing up and contributing. For Cleveland, it’s Mayle who could be the “left off the roster” guy with a mediocre camp and pre-season.
He’ll have to light up the field in the limited time seen if he wants to secure a roster spot. Quietly, Cleveland has loaded the position over the past few seasons. Sure, it’s the play under center that ultimately decide the offense’s success, but the Browns are fairly rich on the outside of their offense.
Minimizing mistakes and making plays is the full blueprint for Mayle. He can’t simply bring half to the table and expect a spot on the 53.
Next: Nate Orchard