In sports, lists are a great way to share information and create discussion. Most of the time, those lists are made by media and fans as a part of an ongoing conversation. Whether the lists consist of the best running backs this year, biggest ‘x-factors’ or historical rankings, they are often meaningless outside of the engagement they create.
A little different is the lists we look at today because they are put out by the NFLPA. The purpose is a little vague as the organization that represents all of the players identified 10 rookies and 10 veterans, ranking each list in order from top to bottom, that they believe are “poised to have breakout seasons, gain fan support and ultimately rank among the top-sellers of all officially licensed player merchandise.”
For a team that is likely to garner a lot of attention, for quality play on the field as well as off the field issues, it is surprising that no one from the Cleveland Browns made either list.
QB Kenny Pickett of the Pittsburgh Steelers is the top rookie on the list and the only AFC North rookie. Baltimore WR Rashod Bateman is the lone veteran on the list coming in tenth.
While the Browns may not have any rookies that would fit the preseason hype, Greg Newsome II and Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah are two young veterans that could be set up to break out this year. Unfortunately, the NFLPA’s list skews heavy offense with only one veteran defender and three of the ten rookies from that side of the ball.