Rookie Report: Heyward-Bey, Sanchez And Brown Could Bust In The NFL

(Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)

Living near Cleveland, all the talk around the office this week has been about football. Browns’ rookies are due to arrive at training camp this Friday, signifying the beginning of the 2009 football season.

So it only makes sense to bring back the weekly Rookie Report feature, right?

Marc laid out the five rookies who could start on opening day this season. Today, three guys who might be giant busts in the league. Enjoy.

After last week’s Rookie Report on five rookies who could start from day one, I decided to comprise a list of rookies that could be potential busts.

These are guys that are expected to be stars, but have question marks surrounding them. There is one thing that can prevent these three guys from climbing aboard the bust train, and that is hard work.

Here they are:

1. Darrius Heyward-Bey, WR, Raiders

Heyward-Bey is the obvious choice as the biggest bust from this year’s draft. Heyward-Bey was a top-10 pick by the Raiders even though top wide receiver prospect Michael Crabtree was still available. DHB has the speed to excel in the NFL, but if your hands are about as good as Saints’ wide receiver Devery Henderson’s, you should not be a top-10 pick.

2. Donald Brown, RB, Colts

Brown was taken late in the first round which could have been early considering the Colts already had a compotent starter in Joseph Addai. Brown came from a small school—Connecticut—that did not have to face tough defenses. I believe Addai will come back strong which could limit the amount of playing time Brown gets. Addai is also the better receiver out of the backfield and the better blocker.  Brown will need to prove he can protect franchise quarterback Peyton Manning to get more playing time.

3. Mark Sanchez, QB, Jets

Sanchez has already been pegged as the quarterback of the future for the Jets, but he has limited experience at QB in the defense deficient Pac-10. Sanchez had all the talent in the world at his disposal at USC, but occassionally made poor decisions. Sanchez needs to be smarter to make it in the NFL.  He could work hard and prove me wrong, but I feel most USC offensive athletes are overrated and pampered.  Look at the last few USC offensive draft picks and notice the trend.

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