Let’s face it: Being the new guy on the job sucks the proverbial big one. Everyone is constantly analyzing your every move, waiting with bated breath for the inevitable screwup. When your job is playing football for a team that represents the sporting social conscious and soul for an entire city, this scrutiny gets magnified a hundred times over. Just tune into any sports talk radio show for a little bit and it’s almost certain someone will call in to bash a Browns’ player, even during the summer. That’s just how passionate the fan base is about this team. This is the pressure that Browns’ rookies face on a weekly basis. Fortunately, the past few drafts haven’t given them too much to bitch about. It seems that since selecting Joe Thomas at number three overall in the 2007 NFL Draft, the Dawgs seem to be getting things right, even through regime changes. While they traded their 2008 first-round pick away for the disappointing hometown boy Brady Quinn, the Browns have hit every year since. In 2009, they took starting center Alex Mack and the following year selected cornerback Joe Haden. This trend seems to be continuing with the 2011 draft class. Phil Taylor, who the Browns selected 21st overall, has done nothing but impress. Starting since day one, he is already showing the potential to become an anchor on the young defensive line. His numbers hardly show the contribution he brings to table. He’s big and fast, requiring double teams to keep him from wreaking havoc in opponents’ backfields. This opens up big holes for rushing linebackers and stunting linemen. Benefiting from Taylor’s beastly play is fellow rookie Jabaal Sheard. When Sheard didn’t have a great first game against Cincinnati, he suggested to the Browns coaches that they switch him to the other side of the line. They listened and moved him to left defensive end, the side he played in college. The change put Sheard in a places he was more comfortable, allowing him to show why they Browns took him with the 37th pick overall — he’s a monster of a pass rusher. On the other side of the ball the Browns have rookie wide receiver Greg Little. Though Little’s playing time has been limited, the lack of depth at receiver on the team bodes well for him. Sitting behind the disappointing Brian Robiskie — who as of this writing has yet to record a reception this year — definitely gives Little hope of seeing more action. Second year quarterback Colt McCoy has picked out Little as key to getting the at-times stagnant offense going, saying the team is trying to get him the ball a little more because of his playmaking abilities and explosive potential after the catch. While hitting in the first and second rounds are must for teams that want to compete at a playoff level every year, making the most out of late rounds is necessary for an organization that hopes to compete for championships. This is something that the new Browns management seems to be better at than its predecessors. While the Browns’ fourth round pick, Buster Skrine, hasn’t seen too much playing time — he’s backing up Haden — the time he has played he has shown his potential. Most of his game time comes on special teams, where he has shown a nose for the ball and physical play. During preseaon he showed the same instincts on the field, playing corner. As for rookie fullback Owen Marecic, the verdict is still out on him. Marecic is filling some pretty big pads that used to be filled by Lawrence Vickers. Fans really questioned the Browns release of the former fullback, and Marecic is catching a lot of deflecting heat from them. While he has shown some potential as a target for McCoy in the passing game, his sole rush for one yard and at times suspect blocking certainly aren’t impressing anyone. While it’s still too early to anoint any of these players as future Hall of Famers, the performances in the infancy of their careers show promise. Hopefully the draft will start paying dividends for the Browns, instead of busts. Photo: www.flickr.com/photos/45591517@N08/4871302681/sizes/m/in/photostream/