NFL Rookies Sure to Win a Starting Job in Training Camp

With the 2016 NFL draft in the rearview mirror and the rookie minicamps already kicking off around the league, the battle for playing time has begun. 

Plenty of rookies from each round of the draft are in position to earn roster spots and play significant roles for their new franchises. 

All 32 teams will feature at least one rookie competing for a starting job during training camp. So there are too many battles going on to highlight them all, but here's a look at eight rookies who should be considered favorites to lock down a starting gig. 

By no means is this an exhaustive list of the rookies who will start, but consider it a sampling of prospects from around the league who are in position to step in and help their teams immediately. 

Jared Goff, Rams

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Competition: Jared Goff, Case Keenum and Nick Foles

As of right now this looks like a three-man race, but the Los Angeles Rams have been shopping Foles on the trade market, according to ESPN.com's John Clayton. 

With a more established starter in place perhaps they could justify waiting a few weeks before throwing Goff into the fire. But the 28-year-old Keenum, who has just 15 career starts, doesn't offer much more than what Goff can bring to the table as a rookie. 

Obviously the Rams want to do what's in the best interest of Goff's long-term development, but if it's a close call between he and Keenum it's hard to imagine Goff not getting the nod. As the team transitions to life in Los Angeles, there has to be some amount of pressure from ownership to generate a buzz in the new city. And Keenum simply isn't going to excite the fanbase. 

In five starts last season, Keenum attempted more than 30 passes just once, and a similar light workload should be expected of Goff. His job will primarily be to hand off to Todd Gurley and avoid turnovers. 

Germain Ifedi, Seahawks

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Competition: Germain Ifedi, J'Marcus Webb, Garry Gilliam and Mark Glowinski

The competition for starting jobs on the Seattle Seahawks offensive line is so weak it's tough to imagine Ifedi not coming away with a starting gig. 

The Seahawks have given mixed messages as to where Ifedi may play, but he will be competing for a job somewhere on the right side of the line. 

Offensive line coach Tom Cable originally stated that Ifedi would compete for the job at right tackle, according to Seahawks.com's John Boyle. But then head coach Pete Carroll switched it up and stated that he was in the hunt for the job at right guard in an interview with Pat Kirwan on SiriusXM NFL Radio (h/t Seahawks.com). 

Ifedi has experience at both spots so it's reasonable for the Seahawks to give him a shot at both positions early in training camp. 

In terms of talent, Ifedi stands head and shoulders above his competition, so his spot may ultimately depend on who among his competitors wins a job, which will allow them to plug Ifedi into the other opening.

Darron Lee, Jets

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Competition: Darron Lee, David Harris and Erin Henderson

The Jets have two veterans on the depth chart at inside linebacker in Harris and Henderson, but Lee brings a unique skill set to New York. 

According to Dom Cosentino of NJ.com, the Jets will create a role in their defense similar to the one the Arizona Cardinals have for Deone Bucannon. 

Jets head coach Todd Bowles worked with Bucannon during his rookie year in Arizona in 2014 and helped design the hybrid safety/linebacker role, which the Cardinals have termed the moneybacker position. 

Lee's speed is his best asset and sets him apart from Harris and Henderson. Due to his ability in coverage—he played cornerback in high school—he will likely be an immediate asset on passing downs. 

There's definitely room for Lee to grow in terms of his ability against the run, but if he progresses quickly in that area during training camp, he will likely take over a starting job from Henderson and rarely come off the field due to his versatility. 

Parker Ehinger, Chiefs

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Competition: Parker Ehinger, Jarrod Pughsley and Laurent Duvernay-Tardif

The Chiefs will likely have an open competition in training camp for both guard positions due to the loss of Ben Grubbs and Jeff Allen this offseason. 

It's tough to predict a fourth-round pick like Ehinger to come in and immediately lock down a starting position, but the competition in Kansas City is limited. 

Due to injuries, Duvernay-Tardif played a significant role last year, primarily at right guard and may have a leg up to retain that spot. The left guard job appears to be wide open. 

Pughsley has played just five offensive snaps during his two years in Kansas City, according to Football Outsiders. 

Ehinger was a four-year starter at Cincinnati, spending a year at right tackle, two years at guard and closing his career out with a season at left tackle in 2015. His versatility is a nice asset, but he appears poised for a starting job at guard to start out his career in Kansas City. 

Shon Coleman, Browns

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Competition: Shon Coleman and Austin Pasztor

Losing free agent Mitchell Schwartz was a devastating blow for the Browns, but Coleman has an opportunity to quickly make fans forget about Schwartz. 

Coleman will need to compete with Austin Pasztor, who was a reserve on last year's team, but the edge should go to the rookie. 

Coleman, who had cancer prior to starting his career at Auburn, will turn 25 during the season. It's unlikely the Browns would have drafted an older rookie in the third round as a developmental prospect, meaning he will be given every opportunity to lock down the starting job in training camp. 

Pasztor offers some competition, having started four games a season ago, but he has never been a full-time starter during his stints with the Browns and Jaguars. 

Nick Martin, Texans

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Competition: Nick Martin, Greg Mancz and Tony Bergstrom

The Texans had a glaring hole at center and then traded up in the second round to select Martin. It's pretty clear they view him as an immediate answer to the issue created by losing last year's starter Ben Jones in free agency to the Titans. 

Mancz was an undrafted free agent a year ago who played a backup role at guard and center during his rookie year. Bergstrom is a free-agent addition from Oakland, who started just four games in four years with the Raiders. 

Martin, the brother of Cowboys lineman Zack Martin, certainly wasn't one of the big names in this draft class, but he has one of the easiest paths to a starting job of the entire 2016 draft class. 

Xavien Howard, Dolphins

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Competition: Xavien Howard, Bobby McCain and Tony Lippett

The Dolphins have rebuilt their secondary this offseason and appear to have the unit set up with Howard and Byron Maxwell ready to start on the outside with McCain in the slot. 

Howard, and the recently acquired Maxwell, are both big, physical cornerbacks who excel at press coverage, giving a strong indication that the Dolphins plan to play a physical style with their corners on the outside. 

McCain is best suited to play in the slot, and Howard lacks the quickness to excel in that role, so there may not be much of a competition here at all. 

The player Howard might ultimately have to fight off is Lippett, who primarily played wide receiver during his career at Michigan State but was developed at cornerback as a rookie last year with the Dolphins. 

Due to the limited competition, Howard should enter camp as the heavy favorite for the starting job.

Deion Jones, Falcons

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Competition: Deion Jones, Paul Worrilow and De'Vondre Campbell

Falcons fans have suffered through three seasons of Worrilow at middle linebacker, but that run likely comes to an end this season. 

Jones has the speed that Falcons head coach Dan Quinn has been looking for on defense, and his skill set in coverage will be a substantial upgrade over Worrilow, who has been a liability in that area throughout his career.

Worrilow is still under contract for 2016, but Jones' closest competition might actually come from Campbell, the Falcons' fourth-round pick. 

Obviously the Falcons believe Jones, their second-round pick, has a leg up for the job, but Campbell brings a similar skill set with impressive speed and coverage ability. 

Assuming Jones wins the starting job at inside linebacker, Campbell may also get an opportunity to compete for the weak-side position over Philip Wheeler.