Cleveland Browns defensive back Donte Whitner is adamant that teammate Justin Gilbert needs to grow up following his disappointing rookie season.
Gilbert has struggled to break into the Browns' starting lineup this season as he was beaten out by Buster Skrine, while he has also had problems off the field adjusting to life in the NFL after being selected eighth overall in the 2014 Draft.
Whitner and fellow veteran Karlos Dansby have insisted that Gilbert needs to find his feet in the league quickly.
Whitner told ESPN: "It's time to grow up and not be a kid anymore. It's a wasted year for him. There were so many ups, so many downs - a lot of it has been brought on by himself.
"He has to look himself in the mirror like Karlos said, he has to understand what he did wrong, what he needs to get better at, and make sure that you're back here working out from day one when we return here to show everybody you have a good attitude and you want to go out there and be the player they drafted you to be."
The 23-year-old has recorded 29 tackles and one interception for the Browns this season.
Simon Sinclair
