Early NFL Rookie Standouts at Each Position

With Week 5 of the NFL season getting underway Thursday night at Houston (the Indianapolis Colts held off the Texans, 27-20), we thought we would take a look at how the league’s rookie class has fared to date.

Talk about good timing on our part. Texans wide receiver Jaelen Strong, a third-round pick from Arizona State this year, hauled in the first two receptions of his pro career—both for touchdowns.

Unfortunately, while that may be worth a mention in this introduction, it doesn’t warrant consideration through the remainder of the piece. We have taken the time to look at the top rookie performer at 12 different positions around the league this season.

While it’s far too early to be handing out awards this season, here’s our glance at some contenders on both sides of the football.

Quarterback: Marcus Mariota, Tennessee Titans

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Four weeks into 2015, how many people expected No. 2 to be No. 1?

The Tennessee Titans have to be thrilled that they not only selected quarterback Marcus Mariota with the second overall pick on April 30 but also, despite all kinds of speculation and some assumption, opted to keep the 2014 Heisman Trophy winner.

Good career move. Mariota exploded in a positive way in Week 1 at Tampa and in three games this season (the Titans were off last week), he has completed 62.9 percent of his throws for 833 yards, eight touchdowns and just a pair of interception.

The rookie signal-caller has been sacked 12 times and has lost two of his three fumbles, but the 21-year-old has been more than impressive under center, quite a change for a player used to working in a different style of offense.

After just four weeks, only four players have a better passer rating than the promising quarterback. It has been a nice start for Mariota as he looks to aid the Titans in their first playoff appearance since 2008.

Running Back: Karlos Williams, Buffalo Bills

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It was one of the bigger offseason trades in the NFL in the last few years. The Buffalo Bills, with new head coach Rex Ryan in tow, obtained running back LeSean McCoy from the Philadelphia Eagles (for inside linebacker Kiko Alonso) in an effort to fix the league’s 25th-ranked ground game from 2014.

Since then, however, McCoy has been hampered by injuries, and prior to the start of the season, the team released veteran running back Fred Jackson. So how excited has the team been with the play of fifth-round pick Karlos Williams, who has scored a touchdown in each of the team’s first four games in 2015?

The former Florida State Seminole has totaled 52 touches and rolled up 272 yards from scrimmage, racking up 226 yards and three touchdowns on the ground to go with five catches for 46 yards and a score.

When it’s all said and done, we may be hearing a lot from the likes of San Diego’s Melvin Gordon, St. Louis’ Todd Hurley, Washington’s Matt Jones and Jacksonville’s T.J. Yeldon (who leads all rookies with 259 rushing yards), to name a few.

For now, 22-year-old Williams has distinguished himself in an impressive way for a team that can use all the offensive help it can get.

Wide Receiver: Amari Cooper, Oakland Raiders

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There are plenty of expectations when you are the fourth overall pick in any NFL draft.

And for the Oakland Raiders, the decision to add former University of Alabama wide receiver Amari Cooper early on back on April 30 is already paying off in a big way. Just ask his teammate.

“He’s a home run waiting to happen,” said Raiders quarterback Derek Carr to Vic Tafur of the San Francisco Chronicle. “He’s a nightmare for guys to cover because he is so athletic. He knows that he can only get better from here, and he’s not going to stop working.”

How about a grand slam? After four games, Cooper leads the team in receptions (24) and receiving yards (339) and has scored a pair of touchdowns. The Oakland offense has already totaled 11 touchdowns, not bad for a club that scored only 26 offensive touchdowns in 2014.

More importantly, the 21-year-old has added an element of fear when it comes to opposing defense. The prospects from Williams this season and beyond are, indeed, scary.

Tight End: Maxx Williams, Baltimore Ravens

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Finding a standout at tight end among this year’s rookie class was a challenge.

That’s not to say that we won’t see some young performers grow as the year wears on. But so far, no one has really seized the moment at the position so far. Emphasis on 'so far'.

This offseason, the Baltimore Ravens lost both wide receiver Torrey Smith and tight end Owen Daniels to free agency. To replace those players, general manager Ozzie Newsome used his first two draft picks this spring to add wideout Breshad Perriman (Central Florida) and tight end Maxx Williams (Minnesota)

While we are still waiting to see the team’s first-round pick this season, Williams has played in all four games and notched a pair of starts. The 21-year-old has totaled just seven receptions but for 84 yards, a healthy 12 yards per catch.

Williams has yet to find the end zone this season but that may be just a matter of time. For Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco, sooner would be a lot more preferred than later.

Offensive Lineman: C Mitch Morse, Kansas City Chiefs

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With the start of the 2015 free-agency period came the realization that the Kansas City Chiefs were going to have a tough time hanging on to potential free-agent center Rodney Hudson.

On cue, the underrated performer received a lucrative deal from the Oakland Raiders and suddenly Chiefs head coach Andy Reid was in search of a new center.

During the 2015 NFL draft, Kansas City opted for University of Missouri tackle Mitch Morse and would eventually groom him to be a contender for the starting pivot job.

Talk about well groomed? Morse not only beat out Eric Kush for the starting job, he’s made his mark at the position (one he played earlier in his college career, as outlined by Terez A. Paylor of the Kansas City Star earlier this summer).

And just how well has he performed to date at center? According to Pro Football Focus, only Carolina’s Ryan Kalil and Miami’s Mike Pouncey have graded out higher than the 23-year-old so far this season.

Defensive End: Leonard Williams, New York Jets

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We are not sure of the athletic ability of New York Jets general manager Mike Maccagnan. But we’ll assume that the franchise’s newest front-office leader may have attempted at least one cartwheel on the evening of April 30.

That night, the Jets were sitting with the sixth overall pick in the draft and probably didn’t expect USC defensive lineman Leonard Williams to be there for the choosing.

It didn’t take long for Maccagnan to grab the talented defender, and the 21-year-old has responded in a big way, especially in the absence of Sheldon Richardson. He’s graded out in a big way and in four starts has totaled 18 tackles and one-half sack, including three tackles for losses.

We have seen some promising rookie performances at the defensive end positon to date. Early-round 2015 draft picks such as Vic Beasley (Atlanta Falcons) and Frank Clark (Seattle Seahawks) have made an impression as well.

It will be very interesting to see what head coach Todd Bowles comes up with on defense with Muhammad Wilkerson, nose tackle Damon Harrison, Williams and the returning Richardson.

Defensive Tackle: NT Eddie Goldman, Chicago Bears

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Four games into 2015 and sporting a 1-3 record, the Chicago Bears are already in rebuilding mode—especially when it comes to their defense.

Last week, the team traded veteran defender Jared Allen to the Carolina Panthers and inside linebacker Job Bostic to the New England Patriots.

So the youth movement is on in the Windy City and both head coach John Fox and defensive coordinator Vic Fangio must like what they see early on from the team’s second-round pick, Eddie Goldman.

The 6’4”, 320-pound defender has started the last three weeks and all told has logged 133 plays this season, totaling five tackles and one sack to date.

The Bears rank just 24th in the NFL against the run so far this year but Goldman comes off a solid effort against the Oakland Raiders in which Fox’s club gave up a season-low 70 yards on the ground.

It will be intriguing to see how quickly Goldman and the rest of Fangio’s defensive unit develops as the season unfolds.

Inside Linebacker: Stephone Anthony, New Orleans Saints

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There’s theoretically nowhere to go but up when your defensive unit finished next-to-last in the NFL in total yards per game allowed last season (unless you finish 32nd, of course).

Slowly but surely, the New Orleans Saints have been adding youth to their struggling defensive unit and this won’t be the first time you read about one of their rookie linebackers in this piece.

Stephone Anthony was the next-to-last pick in the first round in this year’s draft. While the Saints rank 24th in the NFL in total defense and only five teams in the league have given up more yards on the ground, the former Clemson standout is doing his best to change that.

Anthony is currently tied for second on the team with 23 tackles, has totaled one sack and one pass defensed.

He hasn’t earned great grades so far this season, but the 23-year-old appears to be a very talented work in progress and comes off a very promising performance in the team’s overtime win over the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday.

Outside Linebacker: Hau'oli Kikaha, New Orleans Saints

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Here’s the making of an interesting discussion.

New Orleans Saints rookie outside linebacker Hau'oli Kikaha has logged far more playing time than, say, fellow 2015 second-round pick Preston Smith of the Washington Redskins. The numbers show that Smith has only played 87 snaps this season, and the former Mississippi State product has not yet started a game. But talk about making the most out of your time on the field?

He’s totaled five stops, two sacks, knocked down a pair of passes, forced three fumbles and recovered a fumble. Smith is one of many reasons that the Redskins defense ranks fourth in the NFL in total defense.

But to be fair, the disparity in time spent on the field is just far too great between the two rookies. Kikaha leads the Saints in tackles (26), sacks (three) and forced fumbles (two), and while the New Orleans defense isn’t ranked anywhere near the Redskins, he has shown some potential when it comes to being a run-stopper.

Cornerback: Ronald Darby, Buffalo Bills

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Thanks to a 2014 trade that enabled the Buffalo Bills to move up in the first round that year and put themselves in position to select wide receiver Sammy Watkins, the team did not have a first-round pick last spring.

So with a second-round choice and their first in the 2015 draft, the Bills opted for Florida State cornerback Ronald Darby.

Four weeks into the season, the former Seminole is tied for fifth on the team with 19 tackles, has a pair of interceptions and has already totaled an impressive 11 passes defensed. According to Pro Football Focus, he ranks as the league’s fourth-best cornerback so far this season.

The Bills’ talented defense has already had its ups and downs, picked apart by veteran quarterbacks such as Tom Brady and Eli Manning while feasting on the likes of youngsters such as Andrew Luck and Ryan Tannehill. And 21-year-old Darby could be in for a huge year if the Buffalo pass rush can snap out of its early-season funk.

Safety: SS Landon Collins, New York Giants

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New York Giants rookie safety Landon Collins has been anything but perfect this season to date. Neither has defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo’s unit.

The top pick in the second round by the New York Giants this year, the former University of Alabama standout has been part of a defensive unit that has allowed the fewest rushing yards per game as well as the most passing yards per contest in the league this season.

Collins is tied for fifth on the team with 22 tackles and has also knocked down three passes. Pro Football Focus notes that while the 21-year-old has had his issues with pass coverage, his play against the run has been solid. And after some rough moments the first three weeks of the season, the rookie defender comes off a nice performance in his team’s 24-10 road win over the Buffalo Bills.

Special Teams: KR Tyler Lockett, Seattle Seahawks

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Anyone who saw Seattle Seahawks rookie wide receiver Tyler Lockett perform during the preseason knew there was the potential for some real excitement this fall.

Over the summer, the 23-year-old returned a kickoff 105 yards for a touchdown, took back a punt 67 yards for a score and also hauled in a 63-yard touchdown reception.

The Seahawks’ third-round pick from Kansas State has been pretty busy in four games this season. Lockett ranks fourth on the club with 10 receptions for 109 yards, has returned nine kickoffs for 270 yards—including a 105-yard touchdown—and has also taken back a punt 57 yards for a score this year. He did also run for one yard on one carry.

A total of 25 touches for 516 combined yards and a pair of touchdowns. That’s some nice math and a feature the struggling Seattle offense has needed this season to date.

Unless otherwise noted, all player and team statistics come from Pro Football Reference and ESPN.com.