Browns No. 1 draft pick Justin Gilbert says he has no doubt he can start and excel as a rookie.

Coach Mike Pettine on No. 8 overall pick Justin Gilbert’s progress:



“He’s on the learning curve. He’s put himself in some situations where he’s testing his ability to make up. A lot of corners play scared — I don’t want to say scared — but they’ll stay on top, and they get beat underneath a lot.



“The elite guys can let a guy get slightly past them but know with their make-up speed and their length that they can still make a play on the ball. That’s what this time is for ... kind of testing his limits.”



Gilbert says he has no doubt he can start and excel as a rookie.



“Confidence is not a problem,” he said.



Pettine said Gilbert and the other cornerbacks have a real bonus in learning footwork from assistant coach Aaron Glenn, a former All-Pro.



“It’s critical when the footwork becomes second nature to those guys, and they just do it rather than thinking about it,” Pettine said.



This town



Michael Stanley made a rare appearance in Berea on Wednesday as a guest of the Browns.



The Cleveland-based rocker, who was doing sold-out shows at Blossom decades ago and still stays very busy (his band will do a show at GlenOak High School on June 28) took in minicamp with a big smile.



Stanley watches the Browns on TV every Sunday but admitted, “I haven’t been at a game live since Golic got me tickets.”



That would have been when Bob Golic was playing for the Browns in the 1980s.



Draft pick signs



Third-round draft pick Terrance West became the Browns’ third 2014 draft pick to sign a contract.



Players are allowed to practice in the spring whether they have signed or not. First-rounders Justin Gilbert and Johnny Manziel are in minicamp but will have to sign before they can be part of regular training camp, which starts in late July.



West has made a strong first impression and is being used as the No. 2 back behind veteran Ben Tate in minicamp.



Extra points



• Travis Benjamin, who has been the fastest man in Berea the previous two seasons, won’t practice until training camp because he is coming off knee surgery. His absence is one reason the wide receiver corps is in a state of flux. “We’re hopeful that when we get to training camp, we get Travis Benjamin back, and get Charles Johnson and see what he can do. Then, hopefully we can settle on a lineup quickly and develop some chemistry with the quarterbacks.” Johnson is a 25-year-old sleeper who was a major star at Grand Valley State.



• Pettine claims Josh Gordon isn’t being held out of minicamp 11-on-11s (the wideout is suiting up) as a product of getting other receivers ready since he will be suspended.



• Pettine’s take on wideouts who have caught his eye through spring practice and two days of minicamp: “(Andrew) Hawkins, for sure. We saw Kenny Shaw (undrafted out of Florida State) make some plays today. Willie Snead (an undrafted rookie out of Ball State) was doing well until he had a minor injury. That’s a good young group, and the plus side of having guys out is it gives us a chance to hopefully find a diamond in the rough with other guys.”



• Coaches are intrigued by what slot-receiver Hawkins’ short-area quickness can do for whomever wins the quarterback job. “There was a play today that the defense called, ‘51 double’, which meant double (Hawkins), and he still got open,” Pettine said. “That’s when (coordinator) Kyle (Shanahan) got after (defensive coordinator Jim) O’Neil a little bit and said, ‘You’re going to have to put three on him.’ ”



• The San Diego Padres wasted a draft pick on Johnny Manziel this week. “Somebody texted me about it, and I didn’t think it was that big of a deal because the kid’s die-hard football,” Pettine said. “It was a bit of a surprise.” Manziel last played baseball in high school.



Reach Steve at 330-580-8347 or steve.doerschuk@cantonrep.com

On Twitter: @sdoerschukREP