Usually, the teams that lead in total points by rookies are going to be led by a quarterback. That's not the case here. Rookie quarterbacks Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders both came out with negative total points and terrible QBRs (31.3 for Gabriel, 19.0 for Sanders). Those would have been the bottom two ratings in the league if Gabriel and Sanders had enough pass attempts to qualify.
The star in Cleveland was a linebacker. Second-round pick Carson Schwesinger is the clear favorite for Defensive Rookie of the Year and was second in total points among all rookies. Schwesinger's 156 combined tackles led all rookies by more than 50. He was joined on the defense by first-round defensive tackle Mason Graham, who started the entire season and improved significantly in November and December. Undrafted defensive tackle Adin Huntington also made an impact.
Meanwhile, the offensive skill positions for the Browns were filled with rookies. Tight end Harold Fannin Jr. was probably the best, with 72 receptions for 731 yards and six touchdowns. The Browns also had wide receiver Isaiah Bond and running backs Quinshon Judkins and Dylan Sampson.
8 comments
No way the saints class is better than ours
A great rookie dt, one of the best rookie linebackers ever, a stud rb another solid rb and a top 10 te. Somehow 2 feels too low.
Not sure if Saints should rank higher than us but the difference is probably Gabriel and Sanders dragging an otherwise fantastic rookie class down significantly.
production doesnt equal good. bad teams with lots of rookies that have chances to play will produce. I always think of Michael Carter-Williams ROY in the NBA for the trust the process 76ers, he put up numbers and won the award and then didnt do much after. That being said…go browns. these rooks look awesome
ngl, I read the blurb about the Saints at #1 and there’s nothing in there justifying it at all. It comes down to Tyler Shough being the reason. Like he was ok for a bit, sure. But I would take every Browns rookie over the rest of their rookies any day. Schwesinger, Graham, Fannin, and Judkins will be stars, and Sampson, Bond, and Huntington each showed out at times. They had a good LT, I suppose, and I’m not capable of truly judging him, but even if he was the next Joe Thomas, there’s no justifying them at #1 bc of those two guys.
How are the Browns not #1? I would take their draft class over any of them. If they hit on a QB, OL and a WR next year, they are legitimately set for the next 7-10 years on offense. The defense is already top tier and have Emerson and hopefully JOK coming back next year.
Just because shough has a decent rookie season doesn’t mean he’s going to be good once the league gets tape on him. We had an outstanding class and contributions from in drafted guys too.
“Schwesinger’s 156 combined tackles led all rookies by more than 50. ” That’s just fantastic.