There won’t be many rookies in the NFL this season that will have the pressure that Rashan Gary will have on him from the Green Bay Packers fan base in 2019.

To be clear, it’s not because of bad intentions. It’s simply that the Packers haven’t had a pick as high as No. 12 overall in quite some time, thus there are a lot of expectations that come along with that pick. Throw in the fact that Gary is by all accounts an athletic marvel who failed to live up to the hype as a Michigan Wolverine – and it makes sense that there has been some anxiety surrounding his selection. It makes even more sense knowing that players like Christian Wilkins, Brian Burns, Dexter Lawrence, and even tight end Noah Fant – all fan favorites at some point during the draft process – all went ahead of Gary.

Simply put, many are looking at Gary as a boom or bust prospect. He’ll either prove General Manager Brian Gutekunst right for taking the chance on him or he’ll go down a player who was drafted too high. At the very least, that’s the perception of the fan reception towards Gary this preseason, and actually, the fans may be right.

According to Ryan Wood and Tom Silverstein of Packers News, Gary feels the same way about himself.

“I’m out there to be a big performer,” Gary said regarding the expectations surrounding him. “To be a game changer.”

That’s exactly where some of the anxiety surrounding Gary has come from this preseason. The Packers drafted him to be a value at No. 12 because he has the upside of a Von Miller, J.J. Watt, or heck, even a Khalil Mack. Unfortunately, so far this offseason Gary has looked far from any of those players, though. He’s gotten plenty of snaps as an outside linebacker, but he’s failed to do anything with those snaps. He hasn’t registered a single stat on the box score – not even a tackle – and at times he’s looked gassed and even like he’s given up on plays.

Rashan Gary, Packers

That’s not a good look considering the aforementioned expectations. That’s really not a good look considering the knocks against him as a draft prospect coming out of Michigan. Keep in mind, there were some that considered Gary the top overall prospect from a size, speed, and athleticism standpoint – certainly from a potential standpoint. He has the raw tools and abilities to be a perennial Pro Bowler. That much is clear when he turns it on. Just how much does he turn it on, though? That's the question. And that's why he fell to No. 12.

So is there reason to be concerned about Gary through two preseason games?

The pessimist fan will, of course, find his production so far distressing, but let’s keep this in perspective. It’s the preseason, folks.

Nothing that’s happening right now really matters, and even if you believed it did, he’s played in only two games so far. Also remember, Gary was a defensive end at Michigan, often-times charged with taking on double-teams as a five or seven technique with his hand in the dirt. The Packers drafted him because his incredible size, speed, and athleticism make him a very intriguing option as an outside linebacker in defensive coordinator Mike Pettine’s defensive scheme, but that doesn’t mean there won’t be growing pains.

Rashan Gary, Packers

Again, keep it in perspective. This is a player who played for years with his hand in the dirt. He’s only played roughly six quarters and probably less as an outside linebacker in the NFL. It’s going to take some time for him to get used to the new position. If you don’t believe me, take it from Pettine himself, who seems to be very comfortable with where Gary is at so far this preseason:

“We knew that he was going to be a little bit of a work in progress. Because like I said before, we’re teaching him all of it, Pettine told Wood and Silverstein. “So there’s some things he’s doing now that he won’t necessarily be doing in the regular season. As we get closer, we’re going to start to hone that down and put him in position where he’s ready to excel.”

Within Pettine’s answer lies the reason Packers fans shouldn’t freak out about Gary so far.

He’s not going to begin the year as a starter on this defense, which means he has time to figure it out. Perhaps most important, when Gary does play, the Packers are going to make sure he’s super-focused on one task and one task only: getting after the quarterback.

Considering that you can't coach speed or athleticism, the Packers should feel pretty good about Gary’s ability to do just that once the game around him slows down a bit.