NFL Rookies Turning Heads This Offseason
Though it is still early in the offseason process, NFL teams have at least gotten a look at their crop of rookie players through rookie minicamps and OTAs.
Some first-year players, of course, have looked better than others.
While starting jobs and roster spots aren't won or lost this early in the offseason, strong minicamp and OTA performances can indicate future success.
This is especially true for rookies, who are getting their first taste of what it means to be an NFL player.
Over the next few pages, we will examine some of the NFL rookies who have managed to stand out to this point in the 2015 offseason.
RB Melvin Gordon, San Diego Chargers
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If everything goes as planned, the San Diego Chargers landed their franchise running back when they selected Wisconsin's Melvin Gordon with the 15th overall pick in this year's draft.
Gordon rushed for a whopping 2,587 yards in his final collegiate season and should be San Diego's unquestioned starter if he can make a fast NFL transition.
His new quarterback, Philip Rivers, seems pleased with the progress the rookie has made thus far in the offseason. Rivers said, per the Chargers' official website:
"He looks good. As I said when we drafted him, there were a lot of Saturday nights sitting in the hotels on the road watching Wisconsin highlights and him run the ball. Now I get to see him up close. I saw a few clips from rookie minicamp, and you see spurts here and there of what you’ve seen on film and on Saturday evenings. He’s done a good job so far. He’s still learning, and there is a lot to learn, but he’s fit right in.
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Rivers even went so far as to compare Gordon with another standout player from the AFC West.
"Jamaal Charles is a guy that stands out," he said. "Now, I don’t know if Melvin will agree with me, but Jamaal is probably a little faster but Melvin is bigger. But they do look alike. Some of the cuts they make and the way they run, he is the first guy who comes to mind."
If Gordon can fit right in with San Diego's offense, it will give the team a dynamic it lacked a season ago. In 2014, the Chargers ranked just 30th in rushing, with 85.4 yards per game on average.
QB Jameis Winston, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
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The Tampa Bay Buccaneers made former Florida State star and Heisman Trophy winner Jameis Winston the first overall pick in this year's draft with the hope that he can be the cornerstone of the franchise for years to come.
This plan doesn't necessarily require the rookie quarterback to start from Day 1, but it appears that Winston could be well on his way to doing exactly that.
"He didn't have his training wheels on or anything like that," Buccaneers head coach Lovie Smith recently said of Smith's early performance, via Pas Yasinskas of ESPN.com. "We're kind of throwing him out there, and he's handling just about everything we've asked him to do."
The Buccaneers won just two games a season ago, which is how they "earned" the No. 1 overall pick. For Winston, two victories will be far from enough.
"He competes. He doesn't like losing," Buccaneers receiver Louis Murphy said of Winston, via Jared Dubin of CBSSports.com. "He wants to win and that's a guy I want to play with. He's young, kind of similar to Tim Tebow in a way, he just wants to win. He'll do anything it takes to win."
OT, Ereck Flowers, New York Giants
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The New York Giants selected Miami offensive tackle Ereck Flowers with the ninth overall pick in this year's draft, and they may be force to start him in Week 1.
This is because longtime left tackle Will Beatty suffered a significant pectoral tear and will likely miss the first half of the 2015 season.
Fortunately for New York, Flowers might be able to step in and handle the job as a rookie starter.
Jordan Raanan of NJ.com wrote the following about Flowers after one recent practice:
"It only takes a few minutes of practice to locate the first-round pick. Flowers was a man among boys at Giants rookie minicamp. It wasn't just his size, either. It was the way he moved so smoothly and effortless at that size. Yes, the technique and hand placement need to be cleaned up. That will take some time. Still it was obvious why Flowers, who surprisingly played left tackle the entire camp, was a top pick in the NFL Draft.
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If his recovery goes well, Beatty should be back on the field at some point this season. If Flowers keeps progressing at left tackle, however, the veteran might not be returning to a starting role.
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DL Xavier Cooper, Cleveland Browns
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Thanks to the 2014 trade that allowed the Buffalo Bills to nab Sammy Watkins, the Cleveland Browns were able to make two selections in the first round of this year's draft.
However, it might be third-round pick Xavier Cooper who has been the most pleasant standout early in the offseason.
Though he produced just 37 tackles and 5.0 sacks for Washington State last season, the 6'3", 293-pound defender has the type of agility and quickness to be a difference-maker at the pro level.
"(Cooper) is quick for a guy his size," fellow rookie Nate Orchard said, via Tom Reed of the Northeast Ohio Media Group. "You almost think he's a defensive end, but that's just another asset and another tool we can use on that defensive line in 3rd-and-long situations in sub-packages."
Terry Pluto of the Plain Dealer noted Cooper's quickness following one recent OTA practice.
"Third-rounder defensive lineman Xavier Cooper impressed with his quickness, especially his explosive first step while rushing the passer," Pluto wrote. "Along with first-rounder Danny Shelton, the Browns added two young, talented linemen."
WR Phillip Dorsett, Indianapolis Colts
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Even though the Indianapolis Colts already boasted a thoroughly potent offense, the team still made former Miami receiver Phillip Dorsett their first pick in the 2015 draft.
A big reason they grabbed Dorsett is his standout speed.
"He’s got rare, rare speed and burst," Colts head coach Chuck Pagano said of Dorsett after a recent OTA practice, per Kevin Bowen of Colts.com. "He’s so smooth that he doesn’t look like he’s running until he’s five yards past you."
Dorsett's speed helped him amass 871 yards receiving and 10 touchdowns last season with the Hurricanes. It should also allow him to find a role in an offense that also features T.Y. Hilton, Andre Johnson, Donte Moncrief, Coby Fleener and Dwayne Allen.
“He’s picking things up well," Pagano said of Dorsett, via the team's official website. "He’s got good hands. I don’t know if he’s dropped four or five balls since he’s been here."
WR Tyler Lockett, Seattle Seahawks
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Though the Seattle Seahawks made the Super Bowl for a second straight year last season, the team never really boasted a top-tier receiving threat.
The team may now have two of them after trading for tight end Jimmy Graham and adding rookie receiver Tyler Lockett.
Lockett, drafted at the top of the third round, racked up 1,515 for Kansas State last year and also brings immense potential as a return specialist.
Gregg Bell of the News Tribune called Lockett the star of Seahawks rookie camp:
"Tyler Lockett caught passes over the middle. He showed shiftiness in kick returns. He turned heads pretty much everywhere throughout three days of no-pads practices that ended Sunday.
Despite his “always compete” credo, [head coach Pete] Carroll has all but declared Lockett the Seahawks’ punt and kickoff returner for this season, four months before the first game. Having Lockett to fix perhaps Seattle’s worst areas last season is why they traded up to get him.
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Lockett has the physical skills to make an immediate impact as a wide receiver for Seattle. The fact that he will be the primary returner seems all but decided.
"I would imagine he catches the first kickoff of the season," Carroll said of Lockett, per The Associated Press via Fox Sports. "He will be back there doing it—he will compete to prove that—but it is hard to imagine anyone can outdo him back there."
WR Amari Cooper, Oakland Raiders
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The Oakland Raiders made Alabama product Amari Cooper the first receiver selected in the 2015 draft, and for good reason.
The 6'1", 211-pound pass-catcher is physical and polished and amassed an impressive 1,727 receiving yards to go with 16 touchdowns a season ago.
It seems that Cooper is making a fast transition to NFL play, which is good news for the Raiders. Michael Wagaman of ESPN.com recently wrote the following:
"The 6-foot-1, 205-pounder, whom head coach Jack Del Rio calls one of the most polished receivers to come out of college in years, has been extraordinarily smooth no matter who has been throwing the ball his way.
The former Alabama star has looked in many ways like a seasoned veteran. His route running continues to be crisp, and Cooper seems to be picking up offensive coordinator Bill Musgrave's playbook without much problem.
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Though second-year quarterback Derek Carr has been sidelined with a finger injury, Cooper appears to be putting in the work to give Carr a top-level weapon once the regular season gets underway.
G John Miller, Buffalo Bills
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Buffalo Bills rookie guard John Miller is another first-year player who may step in and have an immediate impact for his team.
The Bills can use help at the interior of their offensive line, as the team ranked last in run-blocking last season, according to Pro Football Focus.
Miller, a former Louisville standout, made a strong impression early in the offseason process.
Bills head coach Rex Ryan had the following to say of Miller's time with the starters in minicamp, per Matthew Fairburn of Syracuse.com: "That doesn't mean that he stays there, but that's where he's already fitting in. You put him out there with the ones, mentally that's pretty impressive. It wasn't like we had to slow things down because he was in there."
According to Vic Carruci of the Buffalo News, Miller has continued to impress his head coach as the offseason continues:
"Rookie John Miller is making a strong impression as a starter at RG for the #Bills. "I think he's a 10-year vet out there," Rex Ryan said.
— Vic Carucci (@viccarucci) June 3, 2015"
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