2021 NFL Draft: Three rookie matchups on the schedule to watch in 2021

Greg Newsome II v. Rashod Bateman (Cleveland Browns v. Baltimore Ravens)

The 2021 NFL Draft seemed to have a lot of division rivals picking back-to-back. Perhaps the most notable of the first round was the Cleveland Browns selecting a defensive back followed by the Baltimore Ravens taking a wide receiver. Not only will these back-to-back picks play in the same division, but opposite each other on the field twice a year.

Both Greg Newsome II and Rashod Bateman will join established position groups as upgraded counterparts to other young and budding stars. Newsome will join Denzel Ward in the Browns secondary while Bateman will be added to a room that includes Marquise Brown.

While Newsome and Bateman obviously haven’t played in the NFL yet, they both are products of the Big Ten. However, they didn’t face each other in college. In fact, Newsome never played against Minnesota and Bateman over his time at Northwestern due to missing games. Pride could play into it, though, since Bateman totaled three touchdowns against Northwestern in 2019 when Newsome couldn’t be on the field.

Like Pitts and Horn, the progress of Newsome and Bateman will be able to be tracked on a year-by-year basis since they will meet twice a year as division rivals moving forward through their NFL careers.