Boy Wonder: Top NFL Impact Rookies of 2010
In April every year, the NFL Draft unfolds before our eyes as us die-hard NFL fans treat it like a holiday.
But now it's September.
No more steals and reaches. Now it's time for the "bust" and "gem" labels to come out from hiding and attach themselves to some rookies drafted back in April.
The following are the Top 10 rookies who will make the biggest impact on their teams this year.
Take in to account not only how close some teams are to making the NFL mecca known as the Super Bowl, but also how desperately some teams are trying to break out of their losing ways.
10. Golden Tate, WR, Seattle Seahawks
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This is a pick based solely on potential.
With T.J. Houshmandzadeh on the way out in Seattle, this leaves the Seahawks with Mike Williams, Deion Branch, Deon Butler and Golden Tate fighting for position on the depth chart.
While it doesn’t seems that Tate will break the starting two, the 5' 11" Tate can play the slot and still be an effective receiver.
At Notre Dame, Tate was the go to guy on the field tallying 1,496 yards on 93 receptions and 15 TDs on his way to winning the Fred Biletnikoff Award, which goes to the top WR in college football.
Head Coach Pete Carroll has seen enough of Tate to know that he can be the real deal. In 2009, when Notre Dame played USC, Tate caught 8 passes for 117 yards and two TDs.
Golden Tate will not be a physical receiver in the NFL but his route running is superb and he can go out of his way to make a play.
He can go up for any ball, but his size hinders him from being a prototypical No. 1 receiver in the league. Look for big things from Tate in his 2010 rookie campaign.
9. N'damukong Suh, DT, Detroit Lions
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Since 2002, the Detroit Lions have selected in the top 10 of the NFL Draft every year but one.
With the selection of N'damukong Suh, the Lions look to stabilize a defense that ranked 25th in rushing defense in 2009.
Suh's 82 tackles, along with 12 sacks and one interception, aren't the lone indicator that he can be a stabilizing force for Detroit in 2010.
Suh had 24 tackles behind the line of scrimmage in 2009 and also batted down 10 passes.
Suh's playmaking ability as a dominant force in the trenches can be the Lions' ticket out of the bottom feeders of the NFL.
Of course, this has to be coupled with the slew of young talent that Detroit has making significant progress.
There is no doubt though, that N'damukong Suh will be a presence on the Lions defense that looks to make a big impact in 2010.
8. Jerry Hughes, DE, Indianapolis Colts
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At this point, no one can question the genius that is Bill Polian.
The Colts and Polian made Jerry Hughes the 31st selection in the 2010 NFL Draft, and this is one of those picks that makes perfect sense.
With Dwight Freeney and Robert Mathis nearing their 30s, the Colts wanted to inject some youth into their pass rush.
So they did.
Jerry Hughes, the 2009 Ted Hendricks Award winner ( given annually to college football's top DE ), finished his college career with 26 sacks in his final 2 years at TCU and helped the Horned Frogs reach the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl in '09.
Hughes played extensively in the Colts preseason finale Sept. 2 against Cincinnati and managed a tackle with two QB pressures and just missed a sack after J.T. O'Sullivan slipped out of Hughes' grasp.
The acquisition of Hughes comes one year too late, as the Colts lost to the Saints 31-17 in Super Bowl XLIV.
The Colts used a hobbled Dwight Freeney, who wouldn't sit out after suffering a third-degree ligament tear in his right ankle late in the AFC championship against the New York Jets.
Now, with Hughes on the roster, the Colts have a dominant trio of pass rushers and look to be a threat to get to the Super Bowl again, only this time finishing the job.
7. Eric Berry, S, Kansas City Chiefs
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Kansas City selected Safety Eric Berry from Tennessee with the fifth selection in the 2010 NFL Draft.
The Chiefs had in mind the 424 points allowed on defense in 2009, which was 29th among all teams, to go with their 22nd ranked passing defense.
The Chiefs were also looking to improve on the fact that they averaged less than one interception per game.
Step in Eric Berry.
The versatile rookie can play both of the safety positions for the Chiefs and also be a returner on special teams.
He finished his college career with 31 passes defended, 14 career interceptions and also had 494 career interception return yards, which is second in college football history, only seven yards short of Florida State CB Terrell Buckley.
To get an idea of just how special the Chiefs think Eric Berry can be, take into account that Berry is the first safety tabbed with a top-five pick since S Eric Turner was the second overall pick by Cleveland in 1991.
It is safe to say that Kansas City nailed this pick in the 2010 Draft and will see results immediately with Berry a leader on the Chiefs defense
6. Dez Bryant, WR, Dallas Cowboys
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Late Friday night, the Dallas Cowboys sent Patrick Crayton packing. The WR was traded to the San Diego Chargers for a seventh-round pick.
This creates more room for the trio of Cowboys WRs that seem to all have big play-making ability.
Each ball caught by Crayton this season would have been one less pass for Miles Austin, Dez Bryant, and Roy Williams.
The Cowboys may have gotten the steal of the draft, acquiring Bryant with the 24th pick of the 2010 NFL Draft.
His stock fell due to a perceived "bad attitude" and also Bryant was ruled ineligible for the rest of the 2009 college football season on Oct. 7 for violating an NCAA bylaw.
He failed to fully inform the NCAA of his interaction with Deion Sanders, a former NFL player.
It was thought that he was the best receiver in college football that year and a possible Heisman contender before the suspension.
In 2008, Bryant had 1,480 yards on 87 receptions and 19 touchdowns. In 2009 in three games he had 17 catches for 323 yards and four touchdowns before being suspended.
Look for Dallas to have a short leash with Roy Williams. If Williams cannot live up to the hype early in 2010, look for Dez Bryant to produce big numbers alongside Miles Austin as the Cowboys look to make a run deep in the postseason.
5. Rob Gronkowski, TE, New England Patriots
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Taking a closer look at Rob Gronkowski, I see an NFL future superstar at the TE Position.
The 6' 6" 265 pound tight end out of the University of Arizona was drafted by the Patriots with the 42nd overall pick of the 2010 NFL Draft.
Oh, how the rich get richer.
Gronkowski will provide a huge target for Tom Brady, who already has Randy Moss and a recovering Wes Welker as dynamic weapons.
Gronkowski gets off the snap quickly and runs short routes better than any TE in the 2010 draft class.
The massive tight end amassed 47 receptions in 2008 with 10 of those being touchdowns.
He had to sit out the 2009 season due to having back surgery. There is no doubt though that he is fully healed as he caught eight passes, four of those being touchdowns, in the 2010 preseason.
Gronkowski is now the latest toy that Tom Brady has at his disposal as the New England Patriots look to return the playoffs and win a tough AFC East division crown.
4. Ryan Matthews, RB, San Diego Chargers
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The San Diego Chargers had their sights set when the 2010 NFL Draft got underway.
They wanted Ryan Matthews.
After releasing LaDainian Tomlinson in early February, it was clear that the Chargers needed a running back in the draft, but no one knew just where they planned to nab one.
San Diego traded up to the 12th spot, from the 28th, to choose the stocky RB from Fresno State.
In his 2009 campaign with the Bulldogs, Matthews averaged 6.6 yards per carry on 1,808 rushing yards and 19 TDs.
If Vincent Jackson ends up holding out this year, look for the Chargers to rely even more on their rookie RB as he poses a threat the Chargers haven't had since Tomlinson was in his prime years ago.
3. Sam Bradford, QB, St. Louis Rams
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If the St. Louis Rams don't start Sam Bradford in Week 1 against the Arizona Cardinals, then it will just go to show why this team has been atrocious the past few years.
In Bradford's 2008 season with the Oklahoma Sooners, he carved up opposing defenses for 4720 yards and 50 touchdowns with a passer rating of 180.84.
Bradford suffered a third-degree AC joint sprain one play after becoming Oklahoma's all-time passing leader. He would come back later in the season, only to re-injure the shoulder and sit out the remainder of the year.
In recent past seasons, the NFL has seen rookie quarterbacks immediately make an impact on their team, and there is no reason that Sam Bradford cannot do the same.
In preseason game number three against the New England Patriots, Bradford posted 189 yards and 2 touchdowns on 15-of-22 passing attempts.
In game No. 4 against the Baltimore Ravens starters, Bradford led the Rams down the field going 6-for-6 and throwing for 68 yards and a touchdown.
If the Rams don't start Bradford to start the season on September 12, it's because they want an early draft pick in the 2011 draft.
2. Maurkice Pouncey, C, Pittsburgh Steelers
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Without Ben Roethlisberger and now Byron Leftwich for the first few weeks of the 2010 season, the Pittsburgh Steelers now must rely on their third and fourth options at quarterback.
Good thing they drafted Maurkice Pouncey with the 18th pick in the 2010 NFL Draft.
Pouncey will protect whomever lines up under center for the Steelers on Sept. 12, after Pittsburgh recently gave former starting center Justin Hartwig permission to seek a trade.
As a junior in 2009, he was a consensus All-American, receiving first-team honors from the Football Writer of America, The Sporting News and the Walter Camp Football Foundation, and second-team honors from the Associated Press
The 6' 4" 304 pound former Florida Gator will not only protect either Dennis Dixon or Charlie Batch but the slew of talent at the RB position for the Steelers, as more likely than not, the Steelers will look to pound out the first quarter of their schedule until Big Ben is able to return from his suspension.
Offensive linemen rarely get any love from the media, but this is obviously the best center to come into the NFL since Nick Mangold was drafted by the Jets in 2006.
1. C.J. Spiller, RB, Buffalo Bills
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When the Buffalo Bills selected C.J. Spiller with the ninth pick in the 2010 NFL Draft a lot of the experts said that it was a reach and that the Bills had so many other holes on their team.
Really?
No one said that the Vikings reached when they selected Adrian Peterson with the seventh pick in the 2007 draft.
No one said that the Packers had other needs when they selected Aaron Rodgers with the 24th pick in the 2005 draft even though they had Brett Favre!
The Buffalo Bills need to be applauded for their selection of the talented Mr. Spiller. Is Marshawn Lynch or Fred Jackson REALLY the answer at RB for the Bills?
NO!
Spiller is an explosive back who can do it all. He is the only player in the FBS to score a touchdown in every game in the 2009 season.
He scored 20 total touchdowns in 2009 with the Clemson Tigers including 12 rushing, four receiving and four on returns.
In three preseason games he has already broken touchdown runs of 31 yards and 20 yards. In total, Spiller has averaged 4.7 yards a carry and has three touchdowns in the preseason.
C.J. Spiller will start in Week 1 against the Miami Dolphins. Look for a big game from him on his way to maybe becoming the Rookie of the Year.
In The End
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The crop of rookies in the NFL this year is one of the greatest classes in recent years, maybe even the decade.
I have compiled my list of the top 10 players I see impacting their team the greatest in 2010.
Feel free to discuss in the comment section and let me know what you think and how you feel about this list.
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