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Cleveland Browns Justin Gilbert has big day

By Kevin Parvizi

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Cleveland Browns rookie cornerback Justin Gilbert is someone the organization must be incredibly high on, considering they went out of their way to trade up one spot in order to secure him with the eighth pick in the draft. The consensus top corner among a group of very talented CBs in the 2014 class (Jason Verrett, Kyle Fuller, and Darqueze Dennard were also in consideration for the top spot), Gilbert has drawn loose comparisons to Arizona Cardinals star corner Patrick Peterson, as they are both playmakers who can break games open on special teams.

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    • Transitioning to the NFL at the cornerback position is rarely easy, and players who do transition successfully at the beginning of their rookie year can have a mid-season slump (Kansas City Chiefs CB Marcus Cooper was a prime example of this). Gilbert will be hoping to have a rookie impact akin to Desmond Trufant, who is a budding star for the Atlanta Falcons.

    According to Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland Plain Dealer, Gilbert has been a standout at training camp today for the Browns, as the Oklahoma State Cowboys product broke up three passes, including two against fellow first-round rookie Johnny Manziel, and got some time on special teams. Gilbert could make a huge, immediate impact as a return specialist, as he is an electrifying player with the ball in his hands. If he can improve his technique, coverage skills, and tackling, then he could be an elite, difference-maker in the Browns secondary, which already has three talented players.

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