Most draftniks pegged North Carolina wide receiver Greg Little as something of a developmental project because he didn’t play football last year due to an NCAA suspension.
Little was selected by Cleveland with the 59th overall pick, and both the Browns and Little insist he’s ready to contribute right away. Head coach Pat Shurmur believes Little could be his team’s No. 1 receiver. Little, in turn, says he already has a relatively firm grasp on Shurmur’s West Coast offense.
He learned it at North Carolina.
“It’s the same terminology, the same verbiage, exact same calls, everything,” Little told the Cleveland Plain Dealer. “I think it’s going to be such a smooth transition to where I met with the Cleveland Browns, I knew a lot of their terminology already.”
During the pre-draft process, Little was popularly compared to Mike Williams of the Buccaneers as an exceptionally gifted receiver who’d fall down the board due to off-field issues.
As a rookie in 2010, Williams caught 65 balls for 964 yards and 11 touchdowns. If Little quickly grasps Shurmur’s system as the head coach hopes and the rookie expects, Little could approach Williams’ catch and yardage totals as quarterback Colt McCoy’s go-to guy.
The Browns, of course, are starved for a playmaker.
