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 things that we do on the front," Belichick said of Brown's rookie workload, "so it's not easy, but he's improved his techniques, his fundamental play and he's improved his communication and overall understanding of the multiples that are involved. It's been good."

Player	Rookie snap %	2nd-year snap %
Chandler Jones	69.1	97.9
Dont'a Hightower	58.2	77.4
Jamie Collins	33.7	91.9
Dominique Easley	35.7	35.9
Malcolm Butler	35.7	98.9
Malcom Brown	47.8	?

According to Pro Football Focus, Brown played 517 snaps (47.8 percent) as a rookie. That's on par for other high Patriots draft choices on defense. 

In almost every case over the past four seasons, the player has gone onto a bigger role in their second year than the role they had as a rookie. Brown appears headed for a similar result. The Patriots drafted Brown shortly after bidding farewell to veteran nose tackle Vince Wilfork, and just this offseason, they have said goodbye to three more standout defensive tackles in Akiem Hicks, Sealver Siliga and Dominique Easley.

The departure of Hicks, Siliga and Easley likely mean a much more expanded role for Brown, who is now competing with veterans such as Alan Branch, Anthony Johnson, Markus Kuhn and Terrance Knighton, and rookies Vincent Valentine and Woodrow Hamilton. Whether the Patriots plan to employ a 3-4 or 4-3 alignment as their "regular" defense in 2016, Brown should begin the offseason at the top of the depth chart.

He certainly proved to have the run-stuffing, gap-plugging abilities to carry out the responsibilities of a nose tackle (or any defensive lineman, for that matter) in a 3-4 alignment, as PFF noted: 

Brown began the 2015 season on a low note, as he was pushed around in the running game and teams honed in on this weakness in his game. He improved over the course of the season, though, and eventually finished the year as a formidable run defender (33 "stops" of an unsuccessful play for the offense). His pass-rush skills are not dynamic (14 hurries, one hit, three sacks), but solid for the position.

As his grasp of the Patriots defense tightens, his play on the field will loosen. Brown will be able to do less thinking and more reacting, which will allow his natural athletic skills to shine through.

As a rookie, Brown was just a dash of cream that added flavor to a strong, full-bodied blend of talent throughout the depth chart. Now, the cream has risen to the top, and Brown is in a featured role. If he can continue on his positive trajectory to close out the 2015 season, the Patriots defensive line could continue to thrive. 

Unless otherwise noted, all quotes obtained via team news release.