NFL Rookies Struggling to Meet High Expectations

Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Terry Bradshaw completed just 38.1 percent of his passes and threw a league-leading 24 interceptions (to just six touchdowns) in his rookie season as a first overall pick in 1970.

Dallas Cowboys quarterback Troy Aikman (first overall pick) went 0-11 as the team's starter in 1989.

Chicago Bears running back Walter Payton (fourth overall) was part of a running back committee and had just 3.5 yards per carry for a 4-10 team in 1975.

Denver Broncos quarterback John Elway (first overall) was benched for part of the 1983 season where he threw twice as many interceptions (14) as touchdowns and completed just 47.5 percent of his passes.

This quartet persevered through tough rookie years amid sky-high expectations, and they all rebounded and enjoyed Hall of Fame careers and Super Bowl titles.

Moving to the present day, here's a look at some highly touted rookies who aren't faring well. Things may not be going their way at the moment, but there's plenty of time for that to change.

Buffalo Bills QB Josh Allen

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Taken seventh overall by the Buffalo Bills, quarterback Josh Allen took over for starting quarterback Nathan Peterman midway through the team's season-opening 47-3 loss to the Baltimore Ravens and has held onto the job ever since.

Allen has showcased his rushing ability, most notably when he had 39 yards and two touchdowns in a 27-6 upset win at the Minnesota Vikings.

However, Allen has not fared well passing. Among 35 NFL quarterbacks, he ranks second-last in completion and touchdown percentage, third in interception percentage, second-last in adjusted yards per pass attempt and last in quarterback rating.

Granted, Allen does not have a great offensive support system. The offensive line ranks last in adjusted sack rate and ninth-worst in run-blocking, per Football Outsiders. Second-year wide receiver Zay Jones has averaged just two catches per game for his career, and wideout Kelvin Benjamin's production has slowly decreased since his solid rookie campaign.

That being said, there's more Allen could be doing, as Joe Marino of the Draft Network notes in a thorough breakdown of the former Wyoming star's pro work. Marino writes that Allen's "mechanics, processing and decision-making ability fall well short of desirable NFL standards" and that he has a "long way to go."

As Marino insinuates, however, Allen came into the league as a project. He has an ideal body size (6'5", 237 lbs) for a quarterback in addition to a rocket arm, but numerous sources claimed he had things to work on, such as his accuracy (just 56.2 percent for his college career).

Allen is in a tough situation on a rebuilding team, and it's not a surprise he's struggling. He simply needs more time to work on his craft.

Seattle Seahawks RB Rashaad Penny

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The Seattle Seahawks selected San Diego State running back Rashaad Penny with the 27th overall pick. In a press conference soon after the selection, head coach Pete Carroll said the team had "no question" Penny could be someone who could be plugged in right away. 

However, Penny struggled in his first four regular-season games, amassing just 92 rushing yards on 29 carries (3.2 YPC). He also had four receptions for 35 yards in Week 1 but has gone catchless on two targets since then.

Penny didn't see any action in Week 5 as running backs Chris Carson and Mike Davis split a 31-carry workload for 184 rushing yards.

In fairness, Penny suffered a broken finger that forced him to miss three preseason games in addition to valuable training camp and practice time that could have helped him get off to a better star.

However, the expectations placed on him off the bat given his first-round status may have been too much. Numerous analysts had a lesser draft value on Penny, including Lance Zierlein of NFL.com (second-round projection), Josh Norris of Rotoworld (74th overall) and Matt Miller of Bleacher Report (eighth-ranked running back).

Expectations were naturally made higher on draft day, but perhaps that is unfair to place on him in retrospect.

Twenty-nine carries won't make a career, and he has plenty of time to improve.

Cleveland Browns OL Austin Corbett

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The Cleveland Browns took Nevada offensive lineman Austin Corbett with the first pick of the second round, but through five games, he has played just nine offensive snaps.

It's strange that someone taken 33rd overall isn't seeing much playing time. Granted, some quarterbacks taken that high don't see the field as they develop while a veteran takes reps, but most everyone picked in front of Corbett (and most of the second-rounders below him) are either starting or part of a rotation.

Corbett started all four preseason games at left guard with Joel Bitonio kicking outside. However, the Browns decided to go with Desmond Harrison at left tackle before moving Bitonio back inside. That has left Corbett inactive for two of five games and on the bench for most of three others.

This may be a case where Corbett is simply the odd man out on the line. Although he was a left tackle for four years at Nevada, it's clear the team sees him more as an interior lineman (he played left guard most in the preseason). Ex-Browns great offensive tackle Joe Thomas opined that Corbett seemed like a better fit there as well.

There's a transition involved in switching positions from college to the pros, and Corbett likely needs to master that before seeing the field more often.

He spoke about the transition in an early September talk with assembled media: "Having played four years at left tackle, I had a lot of things that were set technique-wise, so I carried some of those over to guard when you don't need [them]. Doing that can get you in bad positions sometimes."

Corbett is seemingly the next interior lineman up if one of the Browns' starters goes down, and the fact that he isn't playing now isn't necessarily an indictment on his current skill level.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers RB Ronald Jones II

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Selected with the 38th overall pick, Tampa Bay Buccaneers running back Ronald Jones II had every opportunity to take hold of the starting job. The Bucs waived 2017 rushing leader Doug Martin in the offseason, and the team's second-leading rusher (Peyton Barber) had just 3.9 yards per carry last season.

However, Jones was inactive for the team's first three games before rushing for 29 yards on 10 carries against the Chicago Bears in Week 4.

Prior to Week 1, Jones' preseason numbers were statistically the worst on the Bucs, as he managed just 22 yards on 28 carries. As Mark Cook of The Pewter Report noted, three other backs not named Barber (2017 fifth-rounder Jeremy McNichols and undrafted free agents Shaun Wilson and Dare Ogunbowale) all fared better. Barber also rushed for 87 yards on 15 carries.

In fairness, Jones didn't have much help up front, as Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times reported: "The lack of production has raised some flags. Then you watch the tape of the plays and realize Jones had no chance to do anything with the football because defenders were being turned loose by missed assignments."

Bucs head coach Dirk Koetter also remarked about the blocking for Jones in the team's fourth preseason game, saying he "had three straight runs in the first half where we had a mental error by the blockers up front."

No player can do well without good blocking. However, it's fair to wonder whether Jones is ready for prime time, as he's a young prospect who just turned 21 years old in August. Furthermore, the USC star may not be a great fit in an increasingly pass-friendly league; he caught just 32 passes in three years in college.

It's unfair to label Jones a total bust right now, but he needs more work going forward.

Dallas Cowboys WR Michael Gallup

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The Dallas Cowboys underwent a significant offseason wideout overhaul with Dez Bryant (cut) and Ryan Switzer (trade) gone. To help replace them, Dallas selected Michael Gallup with the 81st overall pick.

Although Gallup has seen the field nearly half the time (46.58 percent), he's going through a rough rookie season. He's caught just six passes on 15 targets (40 percent catch rate) for 82 yards and no touchdowns.

Gallup came into Week 1 with deserved hype following a solid preseason. Of note, Kevin Modisette of Cowboys Wire said he could be the team's top wide receiver. Cowboys writer Clarence Hill Jr. said he was one of the team's "bright spots."

Dallas owner Jerry Jones even offered praise when he said on 105.3 The FAN that "I think he's going to start off opening day. I think he'll be part of our plan. He's really a lot better player than when he got here."

It hasn't worked out thus far, but the entire Dallas passing game has not done well. Quarterback Dak Prescott ranks 28th in the league in completion percentage and 29th in yards per attempt. The offensive line is fourth-worst in adjusted sack rate allowed, per Football Outsiders. No Cowboy has more than 200 receiving yards.

The failures of the Cowboys' passing game are not the fault of one person or coach or executive in particular, and they certainly can't fall on a rookie's shoulders. It's also hard to tell how well Gallup—who was compared to the Philadelphia Eagles' Nelson Agholor by Lance Zierlein of NFL.com and Matt Miller of Bleacher Report—would do under different circumstances.

Right now, his start is a disappointment, but it's understandable given the context.