Cleveland Browns: Chris Kirksey and Mack Wilson on a collision course

Between a breakout performance in his preseason debut from rookie Mack Wilson and uncertainty with Chris Kirksey, the question is when the rookie takes over for the veteran. Although the Browns would love it to happen sooner, it's likely to take a while and may depend on the situation.

Fueled in part by a breakout performance in the first game of the preseason against the Washington Redskins, the conversation about rookie Mack Wilson is when he will start seeing the field on Sundays at linebacker in place of veteran Chris Kirksey. Kirksey is coming off the worst season of his career, which ended with an injury, and his contract figure for next year suggests this will be his final season with the Browns.

Everything about this comes down to Wilson's upward trajectory versus Kirksey's ability to bounce back and produce at a high level. Wilson's ability in coverage particularly is the path that will get him reps the fastest. He's got a great first step, gets to his zone quickly, shows good instincts in the passing game and can make plays on the ball.

It's all about consistency. His activity level, how often he ends up around the ball and his ability to blitz are all positives for him, but his run reads tend to be slow and he needs to be a better tackler. To this point, Steve Wilks has done a little bit to hide Wilson's deficiencies as a run defender by blitzing him, which has been helpful but doesn't fix the problem.

But when it comes to obvious passing situations, Wilson has the tools he needs to contribute there. Now, he just needs to prove it against opposing teams starters and find consistency. Given the fact he only started one year at Alabama, it's remarkable that he's been able do as well as he has, but it's perfectly reasonable that he'd have some of the peaks and valleys he is. Experience matters and he just doesn't have a ton of it.

To his credit, he's responding by playing as fast as he can on every play, right or wrong, which is a good thing. As the game slows down for him, it should get easier, but that may take some time.

Meanwhile, Kirksey should have a bounce back year. He's a solid run defender and the change in coaching and scheme should be beneficial. Kirksey has also been waiting for the Browns to be successful his entire career while trying to prove to everyone that reports of his demise are premature.

Where Kirksey and Wilson's paths will likely cross is the passing game. If Wilson can keep progressing in the way he is and Kirksey doesn't deliver the way the Browns need to, Wilson could start taking some reps in obvious passing situations.

It's unlikely to happen terribly fast, but this could fall in a similar path as the Browns hope to see with Greedy Williams vs. Terrance Mitchell and Drew Forbes vs. Eric Kush. They can get solid play out of the veterans, but they'd obviously like to see the young players ultimately step up and surpass them. Everyone's schedule will be unique and it may not happen this season, but the potential is there to have this draft class find their way to contribute as the season progresses. The pairing of Joe Schobert, already one of the league's best, and Mack Wilson in coverage could have a lot of potential.