Which 2016 NFL Rookies Were Drafted by the Wrong Team?
With the NFL draft now in the rear-view mirror, it's time to start breaking down the picks.
Obviously, there are countless articles out there grading the selections, but let's take a look at the picks from a different perspective and analyze which prospects landed in bad situations.
To be clear, this is not a prediction of which picks will be busts or even an indictment of the selection from the team's perspective. Many of these players will find success in the NFL.
However, not every draft pick lands in a situation that best suits his needs.
Here's a look at eight prospects who weren't put in the best position to achieve immediate success and develop in the league.
Artie Burns, Steelers
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The Steelers have an impressive track record of getting the most out of their defensive backs under head coach Mike Tomlin, including many far less talented cornerbacks than Artie Burns.
So in the long run, this may work out for everyone.
However, Burns is extremely raw and probably isn't ready to play a significant role at the NFL level.
Burns left Miami after his junior year, in part due to the death of his mother this past year. Burns is now caring for his two younger brothers and has a child of his own. From a financial perspective, it's impossible to argue with Burns' career decision.
From a football perspective, however, the first-round pick is still a project and might be in a difficult situation playing for a team in need of immediate help in the secondary.
Ideally, Burns can be brought along slowly as a fourth option at cornerback. But the talent ahead of him on the depth chart—William Gay, Ross Cockrell, Senquez Golson—isn't necessarily guaranteed to allow the Steelers to be patient with Burns.
William Jackson III, Bengals
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The Steelers and Bengals should swap first-round picks.
Unlike Burns, Bengals first-round pick William Jackson III is capable of playing right away, but he will likely be buried on the depth chart early in his career in Cincinnati.
Dre Kirkpatrick, Adam Jones and Darqueze Dennard are all solidly ahead of Jackson on the depth chart, making it unlikely that he sees the field often in 2016.
Kirkpatrick is a free agent after the 2016 season, so a spot may open up for Jackson. But even in 2017, he'll need to compete with Jones and Dennard for a starting role.
The Bengals' depth is certainly impressive, but from Jackson's perspective, this was not an ideal landing spot.
Germain Ifedi, Seahawks
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Seahawks first-round pick Germain Ifedi is in position to assume an immediate starting role in Seattle, but is he ready?
Ifedi struggled at right tackle at Texas A&M and appears to be a better fit at guard, but in either spot, he'll need to work on his technique before he's able to play at a high level.
Fortunately for Ifedi, head coach Pete Carroll said the Seahawks plan to start him at right guard during an interview on Sirius XM (h/t ESPN.com's Sheil Kapadia). But after losing J.R. Sweezy and Russell Okung in free agency, the Seahawks offensive line is such a mess that it will likely go through multiple iterations in training camp before finally settling on the final starting unit for Week 1.
Learning on the job will be tough for Ifedi regardless of where he's lining up, but the odds of him succeeding would drop dramatically if he's forced into action at right tackle.
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Sterling Shepard, Giants
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It's easy to like this pick for the Giants in the long run.
Veteran receiver Victor Cruz is coming off a season-ending injury and turns 30 this season, so the Giants likely have concerns about his long-term future with the team.
But it's also hard to see where Shepard fits into the mix in the short term if Cruz stays healthy.
The second-round pick has the skill set to excel in the slot, but the Giants frequently use Cruz in that role. That raises some questions as to how the coaching staff will shuffle the depth chart to fit the strengths of the team's undersized receivers.
At 6'0", Cruz is the tallest of the receivers atop the Giants depth chart, so the team is left without an obvious choice to start on the outside with Odell Beckham.
The Giants will certainly find ways to get the ball to Shepard, but there were multiple other offenses that offered a clearer path to playing time.
Derrick Henry, Titans
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From the Titans' perspective, this was a great selection, giving them insurance behind DeMarco Murray. Derrick Henry, however, would have loved to land on a depth chart without a proven workhorse ahead of him.
Running backs have a short shelf life in the league, and an NFL-ready prospect like Henry would certainly rather land somewhere with an easier path to success.
Murray is 28 years old and has only one 300-carry season in his career, so the Titans have reason to believe they can get a few more strong years out of him.
Hopefully, Henry gets a chance to prove his worth as the starter before he hits the free-agent market, but that's not a guarantee in Tennessee.
T.J. Green, Colts
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T.J. Green is a former wide receiver who transitioned to safety during his career at Clemson and is still learning the position. His talent is obvious from his 2015 season, but so is the fact that he clearly isn't ready for life in the NFL.
The second-round pick is a liability versus the run, missing tackles and taking poor angles in pursuit. It's tough to imagine him excelling immediately in the NFL.
Unfortunately for Green, he lands on a shaky depth chart with the Colts and might be forced into action too early.
Clayton Geathers is penciled in as the Colts' starter at free safety, but he's only a second-year pro with two career starts under his belt.
Hopefully, Geathers locks down the job and Green can develop in a reserve role and on special teams. Green's growth could be stunted if he's forced to play too early.
Cody Kessler, Browns
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There's been no shortage of criticism for the Browns' selection of Cody Kessler in the third round. It was a reach for them to take a quarterback with a backup-quality skill set as early as they did.
But this isn't a great marriage from Kessler's perspective either.
Since the Browns returned to the league in 1999, the most popular player in Cleveland has always been the backup quarterback. And as soon as Robert Griffin III struggles, fans will forget their initial misgivings about Kessler and start calling for him to see the field.
Hopefully, the Browns hang on to Josh McCown, so Kessler can be buried as the third-string quarterback and developed from the bench.
However, the Cleveland fanbase will still be focused on Kessler, and he'll receive undue attention throughout the season.
Christian Hackenberg, Jets
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This might have been the worst-case scenario for Christian Hackenberg on a number of levels.
For starters, the Jets have arguably the thinnest depth chart at quarterback in the league—at least until Ryan Fitzpatrick re-signs—increasing the odds that Hackenberg is forced into action before he's ready.
But the deeper issue is the coaching staff.
Hackenberg's development falls on the shoulders of offensive coordinator Chan Gailey, who has a less-than-stellar track record with quarterbacks.
Gailey was John Elway's quarterback coach in the late 1980s and the head coach of the Cowboys at the tail end of Troy Aikman's career, but aside from those two, his list of quarterbacks is brutal.
Most recently, Gailey bet his career on Ryan Fitzpatrick as head coach of the Buffalo Bills, signing him to an absurd six-year contract. Previously he worked with Tyler Thigpen in Kansas City, Jay Fiedler in Miami and Mike Tomczak and Kordell Stewart in Pittsburgh.
Gailey has had some success here and there, but he's never shown the ability to develop a young quarterback into a long-term starter in the league.
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