Hyped NFL Rookies Who Will Determine the Fate of Their Teams

Gone are the days when high draft picks aren't placed into the spotlight from Week 1. 

After recently witnessing impressive rookie seasons from Sam Bradford, Andy Dalton, Cam Newton, Aldon Smith and Von Miller, top-10 draft picks are now expected to contribute in a major way to team success from the get-go.

The 2012 draft class was one of the most highly-touted groups in league history, especially at the top, and a handful of those players will ultimately determine the fates of the clubs that drafted them this season. 

Andrew Luck, Indianapolis Colts

After the departure of fabled quarterback and Indianapolis Colts icon Peyton Manning, Andrew Luck has some rather large shoes to fill in the Circle City. 

Many believe the Stanford star is the best signal-caller prospect to enter the NFL since Manning. The timing couldn't have been better for the Colts and their fans. 

Indianapolis is a team at the beginning stages of a organization overhaul and roster reconstruction, but Luck's play will ultimately determine how competitive the Colts will be in 2012. 

Is Indy bound for two or three wins? Or can Luck elevate his team closer to the .500 mark this season?

Robert Griffin III, Washington Redskins

Griffin III has been swiftly placed into the spotlight on the Washington Redskins, in the nation's capital, in one of the most closely scrutinized divisions in all of sports.  

Billed as one of the more athletic and physically impressive quarterback prospects, Griffin III's pocket passing precision and enviable scrambling abilities have set expectations rather high for the reigning Heisman Trophy winner.

The Redskins have been starved for quarterback success for over a decade, and how quickly RG3 can acclimate himself to Mike Shanahan's offensive system will be a determining factor in how competitive Washington is in a challenging NFC East in 2012.  

Trent Richardson, Cleveland Browns

The Browns could have a new quarterback this season in No. 22 overall pick Brandon Weeden, but the central aspect of their offense will be the running of No. 3 overall choice, Trent Richardson. 

After a storied career at Alabama, the bulldozing, yet surprisingly speedy back has the makeup to be a wear-you-down workhorse runner in the NFL.

Cleveland has endured a multitude of feeble offenses over the last decade, and now has equipped itself to make a big stride in 2012 with Richardson as their franchise running back.  

Bruce Irvin, Seattle Seahawks

Conventional wisdom tells us that a situational pass-rusher can't determine a team's fate, and certainly, Irvin won't have as big of an impact on the Seattle Seahawks as Andrew Luck will with the Indianapolis Colts. 

But he was the team's first-round pick, which means Pete Carroll is relying on him to provide a much-needed edge-rushing boost to a team that registered only 33 quarterback takedowns in 2011. 

Playing in a division with the defensively-impressive San Francisco 49ers, the Seahawks wanted to add their own version of Aldon Smith. 

Seattle's a team with some quarterback uncertainty, so a huge rookie performance from Irvin could take pressure off the offense. 

Nick Perry, Green Bay Packers

Perry's another pass-rusher who's been placed in a vital situation in his rookie campaign. The Packers are a dynamic offense, a unit that will score plenty of points and single-handedly win games in 2012. 

But as we saw in the stunning playoff defeat at the hands of the New York Giants, Green Bay needs to apply more pressure on opposing quarterbacks. 

They tallied a disappointing 29 sacks in 2011, and Clay Matthews' sack number dropped from 13.5 to six last year. 

They're still among the league's elite, but if the Packers want to truly contend for another Super Bowl, Perry will have to be a force coming off the edge opposite Matthews in his first NFL season.