Rounding Up Early Buzz on NFL's Big-Name Rookies

Now that the first round of rookie camps are in the books, it is time to round up some of the early buzz on the top rookies from the 2015 NFL draft. In case you forgot, here is how the first eight picks went down:

1. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Jameis Winston, QB Florida State
2. Tennessee Titans: Marcus Mariota, QB Oregon
3. Jacksonville Jaguars: Dante Fowler Jr., DE Florida
4. Oakland Raiders: Amari Cooper, WR Alabama
5. Washington Redskins: Brandon Scherff, OT Iowa
6. New York Jets: Leonard Williams, DT USC
7. Chicago Bears: Kevin White, WR West Virginia
8. Atlanta Falcons: Vic Beasley, DE Clemson

Though the majority have received praise, not everything with these talented young men has been good news, with one rookie set for a tough transition, and the rigor and intensity of the NFL game already manifesting in a camp injury for another. So with that, let’s check on the early buzz on these top prospects from before, during or after camps.

Jameis Winston, QB, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Wilfredo Lee/Associated Press

According to Jim Corbett of USA Today, No. 1 overall pick Jameis Winston is doing everything right as a new member of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers:

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The charismatic quarterback looked every bit as advertised Friday after staying up until 1 a.m. to familiarize himself with offensive coordinator Dirk Koetter's playbook. The 21-year-old who said he felt like a 6-year-old Friday went to greet his rookie teammates Thursday when they arrived on the bus from the team hotel for that night's introductory meeting.

"

This sort of work ethic and commitment to improvement was echoed by some of Winston’s teammates. Per Corbett, fellow rookie Ali Marpet referred to Winston as "an awesome guy to have in the huddle," which bodes well for Winston.

In addition, Justin Pawlowski of BucsBlitz reported that former Buccaneers star quarterback Doug Williams is taking Winston under his wing, and this can only be a good thing.

In talking about Williams, Winston was positive:

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We have been close, even through the whole process that he has been through. I can remember one text he sent to me. He just asked me how I handled certain things, so I called him and we talked about an hour one day. I believe in him as an individual and as a young man and I think everybody makes mistakes, whatever the mistakes are.

"

So far, so good for the top pick.

Marcus Mariota, QB, Tennessee Titans

Mark Humphrey/Associated Press

There hasn’t been a ton of news about Tennessee Titans quarterback Marcus Mariota. ESPN.com's Paul Kuharsky did a piece that indicated that Mariota has the top-selling jersey in the NFL in the month of May. This is remarkable when you consider he is a rookie—and a rookie in Tennessee.

From a football standpoint, Yahoo Sports’ Greg Cosell talked about Mariota and his transition to the NFL, and this part stood out:

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Mariota will do some things we saw him do at Oregon, especially early on as he makes a challenging transition to the NFL. But the Titans are going to stick with what they want to be, which is a conventional power-running NFL offense. Their draft told us that's what they want to do. Mariota will have to adjust and learn to fit that, and become a traditional NFL pocket quarterback. In the long run, that's the best way to go.

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This is such a misguided point of view. If the Titans have the expectation that Mariota is somehow going to become a pocket-passing quarterback in a traditional offense, then they're nuts. I sincerely hope Cosell is wrong, and the Titans coaches are a bit more forward-thinking than this.

Dante Fowler Jr., DE, Jacksonville Jaguars

Dennis Wierzbicki-USA TODAY Sports

After the Jacksonville Jaguars spent the No. 3 overall pick on former Florida defensive end Dante Fowler Jr., the expectation was that he’d come in and energize the pass rush in a big way. Unfortunately, any help Fowler is going to give the Jaguars is going to have to wait until 2016.

As ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported, Fowler injured his knee when he was blocked during a drill during minicamp. The injury was a torn ACL, and Fowler’s rookie season ended before it ever got started. This is unfortunate for the young man, but with advanced medical techniques, you can bet with a year to recover, he will be ready to roll in 2016.

Amari Cooper, WR, Oakland Raiders

Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

The Oakland Raiders are banking on former Alabama wide receiver Amari Cooper to be the weapon young quarterback Derek Carr can use to take the Oakland offense to the next level. There were some great players on the board when the Raiders took Cooper at No. 4, so expectations are high.

However, when you have the endorsement of former Raiders wide receiver Tim Brown, things can’t be all bad.

Brown praised Cooper and his potential, saying, per Bill Williamson of ESPN.com: "They haven’t had a player like him in the past 10, 11 years. Cooper will come in ready day one. He is a complete football player and he can do anything on the football field."

High praise from perhaps the greatest wide receiver in franchise history. However, it gets better, The only other wide receiver in Raiders history in contention for best ever, Fred Biletnikoff, is also enamored with the pick.

In an interview with the San Jose Mercury-News's Daniel Brown, Biletnikoff said that “the way he runs his routes, catches balls, gets open. He can do it against man-to-man coverage or press or zone. This guy is not one-dimensional.” Again, high praise from one of the greatest of all time.

Brandon Scherff, OT, Washington Redskins

Luis M. Alvarez/Associated Press

It might not have seemed like the most exciting pick, but the Washington Redskins knew what they were doing. Taking former Iowa offensive tackle Brandon Scherff was a perfect pick for a team looking to re-build their offense.

Following the trend from Cooper, Scherff is drawing praise from former greats.

In this Washington Post piece, members of the Hogs had nothing but good things to say about Scherff. The Hogs was the nickname for one of the greatest collectives of offensive line talent in the history of the NFL. One quote in particular stood out from lineman Russ Grimm when he said of Scherff, "If a guy can play left tackle, he can easily move over and play right tackle.”

That bodes well for him in his transition.

Leonard Williams, DT, New York Jets

RICH SCHULTZ/Associated Press

When the New York Jets went on the clock, they had their pick of top players at multiple positions. This is a team that has had a busy offseason and has been aggressive in its moves. So it made sense that the Jets remained aggressive when selecting defensive tackle Leonard Williams.

According to Dom Cosentino via NJ.com, things have been pretty much as advertise with the former USC star. Williams drew the praise of new head coach Todd Bowles, calling Williams “Explosive, powerful, smart. ... a disciplined player.” It looks as if the Jets made the right choice with Williams at pick No. 6.

Kevin White, WR, Chicago Bears

Charles Rex Arbogast/Associated Press

Without wide receiver Brandon Marshall on the roster, the position became a top draft priority for the Chicago Bears. They had to be pleased when they went on the clock with the No. 7 pick and former West Virginia wide receiver Kevin White was still on the board.

And it would appear that White is already making his presence felt at rookie camp. ESPN’s Jeff Dickerson indicated from his headline that White was “impossible to miss” at camp. Chicago is going to lean heavily on White and his ability to make big plays in the passing game. Making some early noise at rookie camp is a step in the right direction.

Vic Beasley, DE, Atlanta Falcons

Jeff Haynes/Associated Press

One of the players who looks to need the least amount of time to transition to the NFL game is former Clemson defensive end Vic Beasley. New head coach Dan Quinn said that the No. 8 overall pick of the Atlanta Falcons is already showing that speed that got him drafted so high at Falcons camp, per the Falcons' site.

Beasley’s speed and quickness was on full display in college; often being a step faster than every other player on the field.

According to a camp report by the Associated Press (h/t WDEF.com), Beasley’s versatility is part of what will make him great. It seems as if the Falcons will try to use him in ways similar to how the Denver Broncos use linebacker Von Miller. This is the ideal scenario for Beasley, as he can cover a great deal of field.