4 Biggest Winners From Browns' Offseason Workouts

Nathaniel Watson, LB

One of the positions the Cleveland Browns saw a lot of changes in the offseason is the linebacker rotation. Anthony Walker Jr. and Sione Takitaki left in free agency and were replaced by Jordan Hicks and Devin Bush.

Both Hicks and Bush are projected to start but Nathaniel Watson might have something to say about that after his impressive offseason workouts.

The Browns drafted the linebacker out of Mississippi State in the sixth round. Despite being a rookie, Watson has a ton of experience. He played 57 games in the SEC throughout his college career and will turn 24 before the season starts.

The reporting out of the minicamp also highlighted this aspect. He doesn't play or carry himself like a rookie. Linebackers coach Jason Tarver said he was ahead of the curve for a rookie at this stage.

This opens the door for him to be an immediate contributor. At 6'2 and 245 lbs, he is big and is ideally suited to play middle linebacker over Jordan Hicks. Whether it is in Week 1 or mid-season, it seems likely that Watson will have a large role in his rookie season.

Watson will immediately have a role on special teams and will have a chance to work himself up into defensive snaps. Considering the lack of depth at linebacker, he has as good of a chance as anybody to take on a big workload.