Chris Simms' Immediate-Impact Rookies

The big story of the 2017 NFL draft was the quarterbacks and the teams that traded up to get them in the opening round. For the first time in draft history, we had three moves up in Round 1 for signal-callers. What those moves did, however, is push a lot of talent down into the late first, the second and even the third rounds. 

While I like the group of quarterbacks taken on the draft's opening night—North Carolina's Mitchell Trubisky, Texas Tech's Patrick Mahomes and Clemson's Deshaun Watson—the fact is none of them are ready to make an immediate impact for their teams. Many of the players passed over so teams could grab those signal-callers are ready to do so.

These immediate-impact rookies are the players we're going to examine here—at least those not named Myles Garrett, Jamal Adams or Leonard Fournette. Before anyone gets up in arms about my exclusion of Garrett, Adamd and Fournette from the list, know there are a couple of reasons why.

For one, the impact potential for all three of these players was apparent even before the draft—it almost feels like cheating. Second, I'm not going to be able to give you anything about them you hadn't lready heard a hundred times leading up to the draft. .

The players on this list are here not only because of their individual talent but because of the situations they are entering as NFL rookies. Some teams even did well enough early in the draft that they landed more than one impact rookie.

Arizona Cardinals: Haason Reddick and Budda Baker

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While this might not have seemed like a team that needed to go defense in the draft, the Arizona Cardinals lost two big-time players in free agency in Calais Campbell and Tony Jefferson. They also have to face questions concerning the health of the Honey Badger, Tyrann Mathieu.

On top of the losses and the questions is the fact the Cardinals' second-ranked defense (305.2 yards per game allowed) was a bit misleading. It feasted on the poor while allowing teams like the New Orleans Saints, Atlanta Falcons and even the Buffalo Bills to move the ball almost at will.

This is a defense that needed fresh blood.

The Cardinals have needed help on the interior of their defense ever since the suspension of Daryl Washington. While Washington has been conditionally reinstated, there's no guarantee he'll be the player he was three years ago. Former Temple linebacker Haason Reddick and former Washington defensive back Budda Baker, on the other hand, can have an instant impact on the defense.

Reddick can step in and be Arizona's version of Ryan Shazier—a sideline-to-sideline defensive force—from Day 1.

You might not be thinking Baker can affect the interior of the defense. Well, he can if he's playing nickelback, and that's something he can do really well. He gives the Cardinals another defender who can come down and defend on the edge or clean up plays in the middle. He's a guy who can fill the Mathieu role if needed, or he can play nickel or free safety.

This is a team that asks a lot athletically of its back seven. Reddick and Baker can handle the load and help make up for the offseason losses.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers: O.J. Howard

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Former Alabama tight end O.J. Howard was one of the 10 safest picks in this draft. Somehow he fell to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at pick No. 19. That's incredible. It's hard for me or anybody else to think he isn't going to have an immediate impact in Tampa's offense.

This is an offense with a strong-armed quarterback in Jameis Winston. It has weapons like Mike Evans, DeSean Jackson and fellow tight end Cameron Brate. It loves to run play action and throw deep downfield. Howard is a tight end who can complement everything this offense has and does.

Coming from Alabama, Howard is definitely capable of blocking. As a pass-catcher he's something special. He can run by a linebacker or nickel corner for a long reception. He can split safeties and catch long passes down the seam. He can be an outlet receiver and catch short passes and then outrace anyone in the secondary to the end zone.

Defenses are truly going to be in a tough spot covering the Buccaneers this season. With Howard, Jackson, Evans and Brate, it's going to be a pick-your-poison situation. Tampa will be able to spread defenses wide, and it'll be able to run two-tight-end sets with a magical combination of Brate and Howard.

When you toss in what Howard brings to the ground game as an in-line blocker, you can't help but see immediate impact.

Dallas Cowboys: Chidobe Awuzie and Jourdan Lewis

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Let's be honest here. As efficient as the Dallas Cowboys defense was at times in 2016, the team's secondary wasn't an elite unit. Now Brandon Carr is gone, Morris Claiborne is gone and Orlando Scandrick hasn't been the same since tearing his ACL two years ago.

This is why I love the second- and third-round additions of Chidobe Awuzie and Jourdan Lewis. These are two cover corners who can step in and make an immediate impact in the Dallas secondary.

Colorado's Awuzie is one of the most explosive guys coming out of the draft. Whether he comes in at nickel or the Cowboys have him start on the outside, he's going to be able to run with the likes of Odell Beckham Jr., Terrelle Pryor and Alshon Jeffery in the NFC East. He tackles well enough to play safety if the Cowboys need him to, so he's going to get on the field one way or another immediately.

All in all, Awuzie is a special, special athlete.

I know Michigan's Jourdan Lewis has character and legal concerns, but on the field, I felt he was one of the safest players in the draft. He reminds me a lot of former New England Patriots and current Tennessee Titans cornerback Logan Ryan. He's going to be able to help Dallas in the slot or on the outside.

This is a perfect example of a team that drafted the right players to fill a need. Awuzie and Lewis can come in and bolster a secondary that is a little thin and do so effectively.

Denver Broncos: DeMarcus Walker

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To me, former Florida State defensive lineman DeMarcus Walker was one of the most underrated players in the draft. He's a perfect fit for the Denver Broncos defense and a great get in the second round.

The only real weakness I saw in Walker's game in college was that he would run out of gas from time to time. That isn't going to be a problem in the NFL—the games don't go on for four days like they seem to in college. Especially not in Denver, where there's a lot of rotation on the defensive line.

Walker is going to come in and have an impact for the Broncos, both as an edge-rusher and as a 3-technique defensive tackle. He can rush the passer from either position.

Think of Walker as Denver's new version of Malik Jackson. He can play at the end position when Denver wants a bit more beef up front. He can then kick inside against smaller, faster offenses and make life miserable for opposing guards.

Walker isn't quite as good as Solomon Thomas or Jonathan Allen, but he's the same type of defender. He's just a hair off when it comes to consistency, but he's on the same level athletically. Expect to see him early and often in Denver's defense.

San Francisco 49ers: Solomon Thomas and Reuben Foster

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The San Francisco 49ers did some maneuvering in the first round of the draft and ended up landing two of the 10 best players in Stanford's Solomon Thomas and Alabama's Reuben Foster.

Any time you're implementing a new defensive system, you need to find core players to build around. The 49ers are installing a Seattle Seahawks-style defense under coordinator Robert Saleh. Thomas can be their version of Michael Bennett, and Foster can be their version of Bobby Wagner.

Thomas can do a lot of different things along the defensive line. He can rush from the edge, rush from the inside and anchor against the run. Stats don't always tell the story with Thomas. He might not get double-digit sacks every year, but he's going to wreck schemes.

Thomas is going to bust through the line and force the quarterback to move so someone else gets the sack. He going to collapse the offensive line and force the ball-carrier to run somewhere he doesn't want to run. In Thomas, the 49ers now have a guy who is going to bust up plays for the opposing offense.

Foster is the type of every-down linebacker who will consistently clean up the trash. I've said this before, but the guy was put on earth to play linebacker.

Sure, there are some concerns about Foster, including his recovery from shoulder surgery. However, there's no question the 49ers got themselves a great player. If he reaches his ceiling, he could be the team's new Patrick Willis. If he "busts," he might only make a couple of Pro Bowls instead of being a perennial Pro Bowler.

Even better is the fact Foster is versatile enough to play inside in any package the 49ers put on the field.

Washington Redskins: Jonathan Allen and Ryan Anderson

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The Washington Redskins got their own defensive lineman-linebacker combo in former Alabama teammates Jonathan Allen and Ryan Anderson. They can have an immediate impact because Washington rated 28th in total defense (377.9 yards per game allowed), 25th against the pass (258.1 yards) and 24th against the run (119.8 yards).

The point is that Washington wasn't very good against the run or against the pass last season. Allen and Anderson are guys who can affect both.

With Allen—who was an absolute steal at 17th overall—the Redskin have instantly improved their defensive front. He brings versatility as a pass-rusher because he can play inside and be an absolute handful for guards. He can also rush from the end position and give offensive tackles everything they can handle.

Anderson also brings something special to the pass rush. His power and leverage off the edge are incredible. For my money, he's one of the most underrated players in the entire draft. He's definitely one of its 50 best players.

The Redskins aren't going to have Trent Murphy to start the season because of suspension, and Anderson can step right into that edge-rushing role. He's also phenomenal against the run game and is going to add a lot of physicality to the Washington defense. He's strong enough to hold up against tackles and can overpower tight ends in order to help set the edge.

The combination of Anderson and Allen immediately makes the Redskins more formidable defensively.

Detroit Lions: Jarrad Davis

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The defense of the Detroit Lions has been missing an elite-level linebacker since DeAndre Levy began dealing with injuries a couple of years ago. The Lions now have an elite talent for their linebacker corps in Florida's Jarrad Davis.

The selection of Davis makes a ton of sense when you think about where defensive coordinator Teryl Austin came from. He moved over to Detroit from the Baltimore Ravens, where they build around stud linebackers like Ray Lewis and C.J. Mosley. Davis can be that type of centerpiece for Austin now.

Honestly, Davis is more physically gifted as a sideline-to-sideline linebacker than even Foster. I know he was injured last season, but you can see it when you look at pre-injury tape. He's a better hitter than Foster, and he's quicker and more explosive in coverage.

Davis won't have to come off the field on third down because he's built to cover your modern-day weapon of a tight end. This is huge for Detroit because the Lions have to deal with the likes of Zach Miller, Martellus Bennett and Kyle Rudolph.

Overall, Davis is totally going to raise the level of play on the Detroit defense.

Carolina Panthers: Christian McCaffrey and Curtis Samuel

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I absolutely loved the Carolina Panthers' picks. This is a team that lacked offensive weapons, and the two guys they got at the top of the draft—Stanford's Christian McCaffrey and Ohio State's Curtis Samuel—are like Swiss army knives. They're running back-receiver hybrids; between the two of them, they almost give the Panthers four new weapons for their offense.

McCaffrey can really do it all. He's going to make an impact as a returner. He's going to help the offense as a pass-catcher and a route-runner. We know he can do virtually anything asked of him in the running game as well. I just hope they don't ask him to make a living as a workhorse runner, which I don't think they will.

Samuel is in the same conversation when it comes to player type. He does many of the same things McCaffrey can do, but he's more explosive than McCaffrey. These are two guys who are going to have an immediate impact on the offense.

The Panthers don't always run a conventional NFL offense. They have a lot of college elements to their system, and McCaffrey and Samuel will fit that. Just imagine the matchup nightmares the Panthers can produce now.

Opposing defenses won't know if they're going to run the read-option, fake to Jonathan Stewart and hand off to McCaffrey, fake to McCaffrey and run Samuel on the sweep, throw to McCaffrey or Samuel out of the backfield, or split McCaffrey or Samuel out wide just before the snap.

Both of these guys can win one-on-one against NFL corners too. McCaffrey runs routes better than just about every receiver in this draft, and Samuel has the speed (ran a 4.31-second 40 at the combine) to blow past nearly every defensive back in the league.

Minnesota Vikings: Dalvin Cook

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The Minnesota Vikings showed a lot of promise last season. The problem is their offense stunk. They were the worst rushing team in football (75.3 yards per game), and they couldn't produce offensive plays.

Every scoring drive for the Vikings was either a 12- or 15-play effort or came off a turnover. The addition of former Florida State running back Dalvin Cooks changes this narrative.

I don't care if Cook had an underwhelming performance at the combine. He's an explosive player. Turn on the film and you're going to see him run by people. He did it week in and week out in the ACC, where there's plenty of NFL speed.

Cook is going to change the identity of the Vikings offense, not only with his big-play ability as a runner but as a pass-catcher. Cook doesn't get talked about enough for his receiving skills. He is a guy with great hands who can make things happen in the passing game as well.

For an offense that was lackluster in 2016, Cook can be a difference-maker. Yes, he's going to have to share carries with Latavius Murray, but Cook is going to be the new star of the Minnesota offense.

New Orleans Saints: Marshon Lattimore and Alvin Kamara

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The New Orleans Saints scored an average of 29.3 points per game last season, second-most in the NFL. Yet they only managed to win seven games. Why? They couldn't hold a lead.

This is why the additions of cornerback Marshon Lattimore and running back Alvin Kamara can immediately impact this team's direction in 2017.

The Saints struck gold getting Lattimore at No. 11 in the first round. The Ohio State product is a guy I'd compare to a young Darrelle Revis when I'm breaking down film. There's nothing he does that isn't just phenomenal.

Lattimore's size-speed combination is unreal, and he's a perfect fit for the New Orleans defense. The Saints play in a division with big, freaky receivers like Mike Evans and Julio Jones. Now they have a big, freaky corner they can match up on those receivers.

The Saints also struck gold by getting Kamara in the third round. Sure, New Orleans has Mark Ingram and now Adrian Peterson in the backfield, but there isn't a back on the team's roster who can do the things Kamara can do.

I talked about the versatility of McCaffrey and what it means for the Panthers defense. Kamara isn't too far behind McCaffrey in terms of potential. He can be the Saints' version of Le'Veon Bell—as far as role, I'm not saying he is Bell—and I'd be shocked if he doesn't lead New Orleans backs in all-purpose yards this season.

With Kamara and Lattimore, the Saints are now in a much better position to get a lead and to hold it for four full quarters.