Rookies Who Will Make An Impact In The NFL In 2009

Football season is nearly upon us, and we all are looking forward to watching our favorite teams and players.   In New England, everyone is eagerly awaiting Tom Brady’s first snap.  In Detroit, the Lion fans want to see their team just win a game and in Pittsburgh the Steelers will be trying to repeat as Super Bowl champions.

          The NFL holds a draft every April.  Each team gets 7 draft picks to try and better their teams for the coming season.  Some teams get more picks and some less.  Picks are gained or lost based on trades and the signing of free agents.  Every pick that a team makes is not going to be a great one, some may be All-Pro’s, and others may be out of the league in a year but without a doubt there will be some rookies that will make a huge impact this season.

          To be clear, impact should be defined by not only playing, but playing well.   Both the Jets and the Lions drafted quarterbacks in the 1^st round and I am sure both Matthew Stafford (Lions) and Mark Sanchez (Jets) will play a lot this season, but as rookie QB’s I do not think they will make the same positive impact that Joe Flacco of the Ravens and Matt Ryan made from the Falcons.

          The first rookie I see making a huge impact this season is Percy Harvin of the Minnesota Vikings.  He was the 22^nd pick in the 1^st round by the Vikings.  The Vikings have the number one running back in the league in Adrian Peterson, so the defense will not be focusing their efforts on stopping Harvin.  Covering him one on one will be a huge mistake made this season, he was one of the fastest players in college last season, running a 4.41 40 yard dash in front of scouts.  The Vikings will be quarterbacked by Brett Farve this season and with his strong arm and Harvin’s speed on Minnesota’s indoor stadium I predict many long gains on passes to Harvin this season.

          Another offensive rookie who I believe will have a huge impact this season is Chris Wells of the Arizona Cardinals.  Chris was drafted by the Cardinals with the 31^st pick in the 1^st round.   Chris is the rare kind of running back, who likes running between the tackles for the tough yards, but also who has the speed to break away for the long gains.  This is the perfect team for Chris to run with because Arizona is known for its passing game.  Kurt Warner will be throwing a lot of balls to Larry Fitzgerald and Anquan Boldin, so when the defense uses more defenders to stop the pass, this will allow Wells to have more running room as well.  Wells is an excellent pass catcher as well, and I am sure Arizona will utilize that aspect by throwing his some screens and short passes so he may utilize his speed in the open field as well.

          The next rookie is on the defensive side of the ball, and not only will be making an impact but could win defensive rookie of the year.  He is Aaron Curry of the Seattle Seahawks, who was drafted 4^th overall and no doubt will add some punch to the Seahawk’s defense.  So by adding Curry to Lofa Tatupu and Leroy Hill, the Seahawk line backers will be among the best in the league.  Curry has the athleticism to rush the passer, as well as dropping back in coverage to cover any back looking for a pass.   In Curry’s senior year at Wake Forest, he won the Dick Butkus award given to the nation’s top linebacker.  Upon graduation Curry was the leading tackler in school’s history with 332 tackles.  I am sure in Seattle he is going to make a very similar impact.

          The other defensive player I see having a tremendous impact for his team is B.J. Raji of the Green Bay Packers.  BJ is 6-1 and weighs close to 350 lbs.   He will have a Warren Sapp like impact for the Packers.  Raji is very quick of the ball, will penetrate into the backfield to disrupt many runs this season.  The problem the Packers had last season wasn’t scoring points, but stopping their opponent from running and passing.  By adding Raji to their defense the offensive line will have to devote an extra blocker to him, allowing young linebackers AJ Hawk and Clay Matthews (another rookie) to make many plays this season.   The Packers defense will be improved this season, not only due to the drafting of Raji, but they added Dom Capers a defensive genius, and although it may have been just 1 game in their 1^st preseason game of the year the Packers did beat Kansas City 17-0.

          These are just some of the rookies in the league this season, I hope everyone’s team drafted well and we see 32 All-Pro’s this year.