The NFL's 27 Most Shocking Rookie Seasons in History

Each summer, a new crop of rookies is selected by teams; as the rounds go on, the likelihood of a player succeeding in the NFL during his rookie season is significantly lower. Some rookies, though, break out of the typical late-draft mould.

The rookies that have breakout seasons go down in football history for having historically successful rookie campaigns.

The most shocking rookie seasons, though, are the ones which see great underachievement or vast overachievement. The rookie breaks the mould, but not always in the best way.

Whether the rook gains fame or infamy, the rookie seasons that are the most disappointing and the most pleasantly surprising are the ones etched into our memory the most.

Here are 27 of the most shocking rookie campaigns in NFL history.

Carlos Sandoval is co-host of a weekly podcast that's in the dark 'til the damn lockout is over. Follow him on Twitter.

Anquan Boldin

Anquan Boldin was selected in the second round of the draft; he was passed on 53 times, with teams being highly suspect of his 40-yard dash (his time was 4.7).

Of course, he made every team in the NFL—save the Arizona Cardinals—regret passing on him, as he busted out a legendary rookie season in 2003.

How good was his rookie season? Boldin hauled in 101 throws, a rookie record. Additionally, he accumulated over 1,300 yards, the second-most of his career so far.

Boldin may not have wowed teams with his 40 time, but he wowed them in his rookie year when they had to game-plan against him.

Devin Hester

Devin Hester of the Chicago Bears was drafted in 2006 in the second round. 

Hester didn't do much of anything as a cornerback for the Chicago Bears. So why is he on this list?

For doing what Devin Hester does best, of course: Return things for touchdowns.

In his rookie season, Hester returned three punt returns and two kick returns for touchdowns, setting an NFL rookie record for most touchdown returns in a season.

Hester also managed to have an Approximate Value (a metric used by pro-football-reference.com to measure the importance of a single player in a season) of 14 for the Chicago Bears in his rookie season, which is incredible, considering he only returned kickoffs and punts the entire season.

Dan Marino

Dan Marino was a late first-round selection for the Miami Dolphins back in 1983, so any success he had could have been predicted.

However, Marino exceeded expectations in his rookie season, dethroning starter David Woodley and throwing for 20 touchdown passes against just six interceptions—in a total of just nine games.

That's shocking, because if Marino had started the entire season, he may have thrown for damn near 30 touchdowns in his rookie season.

Even further, Marino threw for 2,200 yards in 56 percent of a season.

People expected Marino to do well. No one expected Marino to become elite after his first snap as an NFL quarterback.

Randy Moss

Randy Moss saw his stock drop well below what was expected in the 1998 NFL draft, when he was selected with the 21st pick by the Minnesota Vikings.

Moss didn't have a good rookie season—he had a damn near legendary one, and it allowed the Vikings to have one of the best campaigns in the history of professional football despite not ending it with a Super Bowl ring.

The numbers? Moss caught 17 touchdown passes alongside 69 receptions for a total of over 1,300 yards.

In just 11 games as a starter.

Randy Moss' Approximate Value pretty much peaked at 17 for his career—he had an Approximate Value of 20 with the Patriots in 2007-08—and he had that same Approximate Value of 17 in his rookie season.

Marques Colston

Marques Colston didn't have the best rookie season in this list, but it was definitely worthy of being on here: He caught 70 passes for just over 1,000 yards, while hauling in eight touchdowns.

He was also a pivotal piece of the New Orleans Saints' turnaround in 2006, which saw Drew Brees have a great first year in New Orleans and the Saints earn an NFC Championship Game berth. 

That's cool. But when was he selected?

Colston was taken in the 2006 NFL draft as the 252nd pick, in the seventh round.

For those that hate doing the math, that's four spots away from receiving the not-so-coveted title of "Mr. Irrelevant," the last pick in every NFL draft.

Even the Saints had to feel bad for passing on him seven times.

Ben Roethlisberger

Big Ben Roethlisberger was selected midway through the first round of the 2004 NFL draft.

His numbers were respectable too: He threw for 17 touchdowns to just 11 interceptions, while accumulating 2,600 yards through just 13 games.

Of course, those are numbers you'd like from a rookie, but nothing to gawk at.

What was surprising, though, was Big Ben's record as a starter: He went undefeated in the regular season, finishing the season 13-0, and lost to the Super Bowl champion Patriots in the AFC Championship Game.

Barry Sanders

Barry Sanders received a good amount of hype as the third pick in the 1989 NFL draft.

He delivered far sooner than anyone had expected.

Sanders had one of the best seasons in the history of rookie running backs, accumulating nearly 1,500 yards while reaching the end zone on the ground 14 times. He did well as a receiving back too, and his yards from scrimmage totaled almost 1,800 yards.

Alex Smith

Alex Smith received a lot of attention for being selected with the first pick in the 2005 NFL draft.

So when he took the field for the 49ers, you expected Smith to put up better numbers than he did.

In fact, Alex Smith's numbers were horribly disappointing, even for a first-year player. Smith threw just one touchdown to 11 interceptions.

Gale Sayers

Gale Sayers was drafted fourth overall in 1965 by the Chicago Bears.

Sayers was picked high, sure, but he smashed any expectations in his rookie season when he ran for 14 touchdowns, caught six more and accumulated over 1,300 yards from scrimmage.

What's most surprising is that Sayers never had as good of a season as he did in his rookie year. He got damn close in his sophomore season but had a little over half the touchdowns he had in his first year.

Domanick Williams

When Domanick Williams was drafted by the Houston Texans in the fourth round of the 2003 NFL draft, people didn't expect much from him—normally, fourth-round picks are expected to be contributors rather than stars.

Williams exceeded expectations, rushing for eight touchdowns and over 1,000 yards while starting in only eight games.

What's more surprising is that Williams is no longer in the league due to injury, which is tragic after seeing him win the Pepsi NFL Rookie of the Year award.

Ndamukong Suh

Ndamukong Suh was considered the best prospect in the 2010 draft. Suh was drafted second overall of the 2010 draft. Coming out of college, Suh was the most dominant defensive force in the nation and was considered a monster among men. (As opposed to a man among boys, duh!)

How do you shock people? By becoming the most dominant defensive force in professional football via having one of the greatest rookie campaigns in the history of the NFL.

With Suh anchoring the Lions, Detroit ranked 19th in points allowed, a significant improvement on its 2009-10 campaign, where the team ranked dead last in points allowed.

Sam Bradford

Sam Bradford signed one of the richest rookie contracts in the history of the league and was picked first overall in last year's draft.

If Bradford didn't have a good rookie season, most would have been shocked anyway. However, it was surprising that Bradford almost singlehandedly pushed the St. Louis Rams into the playoffs after a 1-15 season the year before.

Bradford threw for 3,500 yards in his rookie season, while also throwing for 18 scores. Additionally, he set a record for most completions by a rookie quarterback with 354.

Bob Hayes

Bob Hayes was drafted in the 1964 NFL draft in the seventh round at 88th overall. Though that's not terribly late, it isn't anywhere near being considered a top prospect.

Of course, Hayes proved that 80 other picks (which were not Hall of Famers when their careers were said and done) were poor selections in comparison.

Hayes became a Hall of Fame receiver for the Dallas Cowboys, and his rookie year set the tone.

That's because Hayes exploded onto the scene with nearly 50 haul-ins, averaging over 21 yards on each catch, his best yards-per-catch average over the first five years of his career.

Additionally, Hayes managed to bring in 12 touchdowns in his rookie year, the second-best season total of his career, all while accumulating over 1,000 receiving yards.

Hayes put up huge numbers in his rookie year despite being passed on 87 times in his respective draft.

Curtis Martin

Curtis Martin was drafted by the New England Patriots in the third round of the 1995 NFL draft.

The fact that this gem was buried so deep in the draft is embarrassing to most of the other teams. Even more embarrassing was his outstanding rookie season.

In his first year, Martin accumulated 15 touchdowns, while also amassing over 1,700 yards from scrimmage. He won the 1995 NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year award too, just to legitimize the success of his first year.

Clinton Portis

Clinton Portis was selected 51st overall in the 2002 NFL draft and didn't cause a lot of commotion when he was drafted by the Broncos.

Of course, he made it known that his rookie season wasn't worth passing on.

Portis had 17 total touchdowns in his rookie campaign, while also busting out 1,800 yards from scrimmage. All this came in just 12 starts in Denver.

Ryan Leaf

To say Ryan Leaf's rookie season was surprising is an understatement from hell.

Leaf didn't just underperform—he made a debacle of himself with constant locker room tirades while making enemies with teammates.

Leaf attacked the media, belittled his teammates and sucked at football—all of which were the last things anyone would ever say about Leaf when he was drafted behind Peyton Manning.

Edgerrin James

Edgerrin James' rookie year was surprising in a different kind of way than the rest of the rookie seasons on this list.

That's because James' rookie campaign was surprising in hindsight; looking back on how his career played out, he shouldn't have had such a vastly successful rookie season.

But he did: In his rookie year, James ran for and caught a total of 17 touchdowns, and as if things couldn't be more surprising, "Edge" hit 2,100 yards from scrimmage.

Why wasn't his successful rookie season surprising then? James was selected fourth overall in that year's draft.

Eric Dickerson

Eric Dickerson had a lot of hype surrounding him as the second overall pick in the 1983 NFL draft.

He disliked that amount of hype and was all, "I need more hype!"

He accomplished this with quite possibly the best rookie season in the history of the NFL.

That's because Dickerson piled up over 2,200 yards from scrimmage in 1983. Let's not forget about the 20 total touchdowns Dickerson had too, all while being terribly efficient with each carry, averaging close to five yards per touch on the ground.

Sammy White

Sammy White was selected in the second round of the 1976 NFL draft, and with the rookie season he had, it's surprising that he landed that low.

White caught 10 touchdown passes in his rookie year, while also having over 900 receiving yards.

He also averaged nearly 20 yards per catch, making him an explosive rookie.

Dewayne Robertson

Dewayne Robertson is yet another shockingly infamous first-round draft pick; he was selected by the New York Jets as the fourth overall selection in 2003.

The Jets gave up two first-rounders in order to pick Robertson.

How did he justify his worth? He played in every single game in 2003 yet accumulated just 1.5 sacks and 43 tackles—dismal numbers even for a rookie.

This is shocking thanks to the amount that the Jets gave up for him, which was obviously more than is plausible.

Jevon Kearse

Jevon Kearse was taken in the 1999 draft as an early first-round pick by the Tennessee Titans.

Yep, those Titans—the same ones that were a yard away from having an opportunity to win a Super Bowl championship. 

In all honesty, Kearse had a pivotal part in that.

His rookie season was legendary: He compiled 14.5 sacks while becoming a constant force and a problem for opposing offensive lines in his first year as a pro.

Mike Anderson

Having served four years in the military, Mike Anderson was drafted in the sixth round of the 2000 NFL draft at the ripe age (for a running back, at least) of 27.

In his first year, Anderson had a dominant rookie season: In just 12 starts, he piled up 15 rushing touchdowns while averaging nearly 100 yards per game. He also averaged five yards per carry, a ridiculous average for the typical rookie running back.

It's not every day that a veteran comes back to play football at 27, but Mike Anderson did so successfully, even if he didn't do much else his entire career.

Curt Warner

Curt Warner didn't have an amazing pro career overall, but he did have a stellar rookie season after he was drafted third overall by the Seahawks.

That stellar rookie season consisted of nearly 1,800 yards from scrimmage and 21 touches per game.

Oh, and of course, Warner accumulated 14 touchdowns in his rookie season too.

Running backs are always ready for immediate production in the NFL, but Warner exceeded what was expected of even the best rookie running backs.

Dick Lane

Dick Lane exploded onto the football scene in 1952, when he was a 25-year-old rookie and tried out for the Los Angeles Rams, becoming a defensive back.

In his rookie year, he set a record for most interceptions in a season with 14 picks for over 180 yards.

That record still stands, even though there are four more games per season.

Ronnie Lott

Ronnie Lott came into the league with an explosion.

Lott was drafted as the eighth pick in the 1981 draft and didn't disappoint—he managed to pick off opposing quarterbacks seven times, taking three of those picks to the house, tying an NFL record.

Lott also spearheaded one of the greatest single-season turnarounds in terms of defensive rankings, lifting his team from the 26th-best defense all the way to the second-best defense in the NFL.

Lawrence Taylor

Lawrence Taylor was selected as the second overall pick in the 1981 NFL draft, so much more was expected out of him than the average NFL rookie.

However, no one expects a rookie in any position to have the impact that Taylor did in 1981.

Taylor anchored the Giants' defense and completely changed the identity of the Giants' philosophy.

In that season, the Giants jumped 23 spots—from 26th to third—in defensive rankings based on points allowed, and Taylor kept his high approximate value consistent through the first 10 years of his career.

In essence, his rookie year was just as good as his best year, and that's saying something (really good).

George Rogers

George Rogers was drafted first overall in the 1981 NFL draft.

However, no one expected him to become among the league's elite running backs in his first year.

That's exactly what he did, though: Rogers accumulated 1,800 yards from scrimmage in his first year as a pro, and he reached the end zone a total of 13 times. In that season, he also averaged over 100 yards per game, his career best.