NFL Rookies Who Will Be Household Names by Season's End
Early success in the NFL translates to longer careers. Because there's such a "win now" mentality in the league, one that disregards the progression of players during practice, instead focusing on scheme, a player almost has to be NFL-ready coming out of college to stick around for more than three or four years.
After a long weekend of excitement, it's hard to be the one who spoils the fun, but not all of the players your team selected are going to be All-Pros. In fact, the majority of them will have average careers, looking for ventures outside of the sport around 2020.
Some players fell perfectly in the draft, though. There are at least eight prospects who look to be immediate impact players, generating talk around the league and for pundits on television. If you follow the sport on a week-to-week basis, it's going to be nearly impossible to avoid those eight names during the fall.
We'll break down who those players are, how they fit with their new roster and what to expect from their first year in the NFL. If you're lucky, maybe your team landed one of these athletes over the past weekend.
Marcus Mariota
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Ken Whisenhunt is 3-25 over his past 28 games as a head coach, dating back to his days with the Arizona Cardinals. He's now the head coach of the Tennessee Titans, the squad that took Oregon quarterback Marcus Mariota with the second overall pick.
Whisenhunt was able to revive Philip Rivers' career when he was the offensive coordinator in San Diego, but as a head coach, he's looked for more vertical-style passers. Mariota doesn't really fit that mold, as he's an efficiency passer with his upside being his feet, not cannon.
Mariota is going to be discussed early and often, which comes with the territory as a top-five pick. My question is this: Will it be for good or bad reasons? Unless Whisenhunt turns that franchise around quickly, a losing record would put him at 10 or fewer wins in a 44-game stretch. I don't think he will make it off the hot seat with even a 7-9 record.
I believe the axe is coming for Whisenhunt, and that Mariota is a poor match for him. Maybe the next coach will get it right, but be prepared to listen to a lot about Mariota's early struggles over the next seven months.
Devin Funchess
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Cam Newton has been neglected for years in Carolina. While he was drafted first overall by the squad in 2011, the Panthers decided to spend a majority of their assets on the defensive side of the ball, seemingly making Newton "figure it out."
Newton finally got a top receiver last season in Kelvin Benjamin, the first-round wideout from Florida State. In the second round of 2015, the front office again gave him a treat in Devin Funchess of Michigan. One of Newton's largest flaws is that he still throws balls high off his back foot, a byproduct of growing from a spread system.
What that means, though, is that a larger receiver who can high-point those balls is a big asset to him. Benjamin and Funchess are both 6'5". The Panthers had a plan going into the weekend, and they were able to build around their passer. Funchess can line up both outside and in the slot, which will put him in a better position to bring in a higher volume of catches.
Don't be surprised if the Panthers offense just pounds the ball between the 20s and then begins to throw fade routes to their two giant targets. Funchess has the chance to bring in as many as 10 touchdowns next season; Not bad for a second-round rookie.
Eric Kendricks
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Eric Kendricks was one of the Internet draft community's favorite prospects, but off-the-ball linebackers aren't at a premium in today's NFL. Under head coach Mike Zimmer, a defensive guru, Kendricks, who went to Minnesota by way of UCLA on draft day, has a chance to make a run for a Rookie of the Year award.
With Anthony Barr, last year's first-round pick of the Vikings, playing "Sam" linebacker, Kendricks more than likely will play either "Mike" or "Will." He has enough athleticism to play on the weak side, but I'm not sure if he or current "Will" backer Chad Greenway is better suited for the inside role. Either way, he has enough talent to compete at a high level at either position.
He's going to be great in coverage as a "Sam" linebacker when Barr puts his hand in the dirt in pass-rushing situations. Hanging over a tight end, Kendricks can reshape the Minnesota nickel defense. If he is able to notch over 100 tackles, his name will be buzzing like Chris Borland and Kiko Alonso's did after their rookie seasons.
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Alvin "Bud" Dupree
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Some talk about Alvin "Bud" Dupree like he's a boom-or-bust prospect. Dupree, who was an edge-rusher at Kentucky, was drafted late in the first round by the Pittsburgh Steelers after many mocks had him going higher in the first round, specifically the sixth or eighth overall slots to the Jets or Falcons. When he started to slip, though, the Steelers snatched up a huge value.
Dupree is a little raw, but he is still explosive and violent enough to win early on in his career, even though the pieces to his potentially All-Pro puzzle haven't been put together just yet. He is going to be able to convert speed to power against NFL offensive linemen. As long as he can limit surface area or win with an inside swim or rip, he should be good for at least six to eight sacks in his rookie year.
With James Harrison aging at 3-4 outside linebacker and Jarvis Jones not looking like a former first-round pick, Dupree could easily take either of those jobs on paper. His camp will determine exactly where he will play, but it will be evident by September that he belongs in the league.
Kevin White
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When Jay Cutler has had success, it's been when his receiving talent has assisted in limiting his interceptions and increasing his touchdowns. Large-bodied receivers with legs will do that to a quarterback. For years, his go-to guy was Brandon Marshall, but Marshall was traded to the New York Jets for a Day 3 selection this offseason.
He still has Alshon Jeffery, one of the best young pass-catchers in the NFL, but heading into draft weekend, Jeffery needed someone to pair with. With 5-technique defensive end Leonard Williams slipping, I thought there was a chance the Chicago Bears, who had just converted into a 3-4 defense under Vic Fangio, were going to take him. Unfortunately for the squad, Williams was drafted just one selection ahead of them, teaming up with Marshall in New York.
The Jets did have Kevin White, the receiver out of West Virginia, on the board, though. White compares to a lesser Larry Fitzgerald and has the potential that got Braylon Edwards selected third overall. White came with the seventh overall selection, and he should make offensive coordinator Adam Gase happy.
Is White the next Demaryius Thomas, whom Gase coached in Denver? Is he the next Marshall next to Jeffery? Whoever you compare him to, it's almost a lock that White should contribute a lot to the offense from day one. If you're into fantasy leagues, I suggest you think long and hard before passing on White.
Vic Beasley
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Vic Beasley was the best pass-rusher in college football last season. He'll most likely play around 250 pounds as a professional, which is on the smaller side of the defensive end position, but he's a freak athlete in the mold of a Von Miller or DeMarcus Ware.
He can win with pure speed, by bending the edge, by converting speed to power, by using counter moves or by numbing offensive tackles' hands with a nice slap move. However you want to skin the cat, the former Clemson defensive end can get after the quarterback.
The Atlanta Falcons, who drafted Beasley eighth overall, badly need that premier "Leo" weak-side pass-rusher in their 4-3 defense. Last season, the team was tied for the second-worst sack rate defensively in the league, behind only the Cincinnati Bengals. They have since added pressure linebacker Brooks Reed and interior pressure player Adrian Clayborn, but they needed that edge presence.
Beasley fills that role, and to me, he's the leading candidate for the Defensive Rookie of the Year honor. I think in Atlanta's system, he could rack up six sacks by accident. It wouldn't surprise me if he had 12 or more in his rookie season.
Randy Gregory
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If the best pass-rusher in this class isn't Vic Beasley, the only other defensive end/linebacker hybrid who can compete on his level is Randy Gregory of Nebraska. He was drafted all the way in the late second round by the Dallas Cowboys, seemingly because his character concerns scared NFL teams away.
He admitted publicly that he failed the combine's drug test, which caused him to fall from a potential top-five pick to the 60th overall slot. Gregory isn't going to be a great run defender early on, but the Cowboys badly need a pass-rusher, as Greg Hardy, a free-agent signing, is going to miss most of the regular season.
Gregory had several comparisons to Aldon Smith during the draft process. Smith was able to total 14 sacks off the bench during his rookie season. With Hardy not taking his portion of the sack share of the team until the second half of the season, those quarterback hits are there for Gregory's taking. He's a Pro Bowl candidate if he's able to stay clean off the field.
Jameis Winston
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This should be no surprise. For the tiny percentage of football households that haven't yet heard his name, Jameis Winston is going to be a star. He has the personality the media runs toward, not including all the eyes on him to make sure he doesn't get into off-field trouble.
Any time a quarterback is drafted first overall, he is tabbed the savior of the franchise. This is especially important to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who have never drafted a quarterback and given him a second contract as a starter. For the most part, the Bucs' franchise history involves a rotation at the position every couple of years.
Winston will stay in-state, coming out of Florida State's traditional passing system, which demanded anticipatory throws on his part. If for some reason you aren't familiar with his name, his future touchdown throws to 2014 first-round pick Mike Evans and Vincent Jackson will burn it in your brain.
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