8 Rookies in the Brightest Spotlight of NFL's Divisional Round

With the Wildcard round of the 2011 NFL playoffs coming to an exciting end on Sunday, it's time to look ahead to next weekend's Divisional round.

There will be many rookies that will be thrust into the spotlight on Saturday and Sunday, including Texans' QB T.J. Yates.

Here is the full list of eight rookies that will be in the brightest spotlight of the Divisional round of the 2011 NFL playoffs.

Aldon Smith

The 49ers rookie linebacker will be playing in his first career playoff game this Saturday at home.

He will also have his work cut out for him as he will be going against the high-powered Saints offense and their strong offensive line.

Smith needs to play just like he did in the regular season, when he racked up 14 sacks in his rookie campaign.

The former Missouri Tiger will be San Fran's key to success on defense this weekend.

Von Miller

Von Miller is arguably the best outside linebacker in his rookie draft class.

That was on display Sunday, when he picked up three more tackles and yet another sack against Big Ben and the Steelers in a Broncos win.

This week, he will have a much tougher task ahead of him.

Denver will call on him to get pressure and frustrate one of the best QBs of all-time in Tom Brady, when his team travels to New England to take on a tough Patriots squad.

T.J. Yates

Yates was thrown into the starting QB role after Matt Schaub and Matt Leinart both went down after season-ending injuries earlier in the regular season.

Since then, he has led the Texans to a 3-3 record, including last Saturday's win in against the Cincinnati Bengals in the Wildcard round of the playoffs.

This weekend, Yates will face a much tougher test with the veteran Baltimore Ravens defensive unit.

As the only remaining rookie quarterback left in the playoffs, the pressure is on Mr. Yates to perform well for Houston on Sunday afternoon.

J.J. Watt

Watt's play has been one of the major reasons that the Texans are in the playoffs this year.

In the regular season, he collected 56 tackles, including 5.5 sacks for Houston's defense.

Last weekend, he had a sack and a huge pick-six against Cincinnati to help spark that victory as well.

The Texans will need him to have another good game when his squad will travel to Baltimore for their second round matchup against the Ravens this weekend.

Nate Solder

Patriots RT Nate Solder has played very well in his first season in the league.

Solder has started 13 games for the Pats, and has shut down some of the top pass rushers in the game.

He will likely face one of his biggest tests this weekend when he will be asked to slow down stud rookie LB Von Miller and the Broncos' pass rush.

How Solder holds up at right tackle will be very important for Tom Brady and the New England passing attack.

Kendall Hunter

Hunter has enjoyed a solid rookie season out of the 49ers' backfield this year.

In 16 games played, he rushed for 473 yards and two touchdowns, while adding 195 receiving yards as well.

He's been a nice compliment to Pro Bowl running back Frank Gore, and I expect that to continue this Saturday against the Saints.

All eyes will be on him and teammate Aldon Smith, as they both prepare to make their playoff debuts at home against New Orleans this weekend.

Torrey Smith

Smith was one of the better rookie wideouts in the entire league in 2011.

He caught 50 passes for 841 yards and seven touchdowns for the Ravens offense during the regular season.

In his first career playoff game this weekend, he could be going against one of the better cover corners in the AFC in Jonathan Joseph.

The sky is the limit for this kid and he will have his first opportunity to show off his big play ability in the postseason this weekend.

Randall Cobb

Cobb will make his playoff debut for Green Bay this Sunday.

The Packers rookie has been one of the most electrifying return specialists this year, as he took back two returns for scores during the regular season.

He also figures to get some playing time at receiver for the Pack as well, helping to put together one of the better receiving corps in the entire league.

If you're the New York Giants, you want to make sure that you are always aware of where this guy is on the field when he gets the ball in his hands this weekend.