Can Malcom Brown Make All-Important 2nd-Year Jump for New England Patriots?

The clock is already ticking for many of the NFL’s youngest players. Expectations are high as players enter the league with lofty expectations of early success, and unless there are early signs of progress, it can be easy to wonder if that player will ever make the kind of gains he needs to become an impact player.

Fortunately for the New England Patriots, defensive tackle Malcom Brown already seems to be headed on a positive trajectory. 

That’s a good thing, because Patriots head coach Bill Belichick has remarked in the past about the importance of a rookie making a big jump from their first year to their second year.

Belichick explained the first-to-second-year transition, per Field Yates of ESPN.com: 

That’s where a lot of players, I’d say almost all players make a big jump—whether that is reflective in their status on the field, that’s another question. But just from a development as a football player, that second year is a big year. It’s a great opportunity for them to take that first-year knowledge that they don’t have as a rookie and be able to apply it in their job now.

As a rookie, Brown proved capable of carrying out all the roles required as a defensive lineman in the Patriots scheme. As anyone who watches the Patriots can tell you, there are plenty such roles. 

“There’s a lot on his plate as a rookie in the different situations that he plays in and the number of …

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