Washington Redskins: The 10 Best Rookies in Franchise History

As the Washington Redskins reel from losing rookie Jarvis Jenkins and look to see if Ryan Kerrigan is the next big thing, I thought it might be nice to look at some of the greatest rookie seasons the Redskins have ever seen.

This year the Redskins have amazingly kept every single draft pick on the roster in some form or another, but will any of them become a force to be reckoned with this year? To do so, they have some mighty big shoes to fill. The list is by no means complete because finding stats for rookie years past the early '80s is pretty much a crap shoot, but the search was well worth it.

Here are the 10 best Washington Redskins Rookie performances of all time.  This list also includes two honorable mentions to start the show, and finishes up with a man who isn't just the greatest Redskin rookie of all time, he might just be the greatest rookie of all time anywhere in professional football.

If you think I missed anybody, or if you think I'm flat out wrong (I'm not) let me know!

Honorable Mentions: Brian Mitchell and Sean Taylor

These two guys were so close! But they just don't quite stack up against the rest if you stick solely with their rookie performances.

Although his true greatness developed over time, as a rookie in 1990 Brian Mitchell almost earned his way onto this list for two reasons. Number one: the first time he touched the ball in preseason he took a kickoff 92 yards to the house. Then, during a Monday Night Football game—later known as "The Body Bag Game"—Mitchell had to be subbed in as quarterback after the Philadelphia Eagles knocked the Redskins' starting and backup quarterbacks out of the game. Mitchell went 3-for-5 for 40 yards passing and ran for a touchdown.

In between fines for odd socks and skipping classes, Sean Taylor went ahead and became the Redskins' starting free safety by the third game of his 2004 rookie year. Taylor finished the year with 89 tackles, two forced fumbles, one sack, 9 passes defended, four interceptions, and a reputation as a beastly hitter.

10. Brian Orakpo

On December 13, 2009 against the Oakland Raiders, Brian Orakpo tied a Redskins record with four sacks in a game and was named the NFC Defensive Player of the Week. Despite constant double teams and blatant holds, this rookie would go on to record 11 sacks and find himself selected to the 2009 Pro Bowl.

9. Tony Green

In 1978 with the 156th pick, the Washington Redskins chose Tony Green and he would only play for a single season.

But what a season it was.

As the Redskins' kick return specialist, he would have 42 punt returns for 440 yards and 34 kickoff returns for 870 yards. Green was selected for the Pro Bowl as a kick returner at the end of the season.

8. Russ Grimm

Russ Grimm played in 13 of 14 games as a starter in his 1981 rookie season with the Redskins.

It's hard to quantify a lineman's contribution to a team as a rookie, but when you consider his selection to the NFL All-Rookie team, and the fact that he would go on to literally embody the ideal of "The Hogs," you have to admit that Grimm made a tremendous impact his rookie year.

7. Joe Jacoby

Originally signed with the Redskins as a relatively unknown free agent in 1981, the story of Joe Jacoby is an amazing one. 

When you consider that he was assumed to be a defensive lineman when he arrived, and he had to fight through seven veterans and five draft picks to earn his spot, Jacoby was an amazing rookie before ever stepping on the field. 

After alternating between guard and tackle the first eight weeks, he settled in at left tackle, eventually earning a spot on the '82 All-Rookie team.

6. Paul Krause

When Washington Redskins rookie Paul Krause stepped on the field in 1964 , he would find himself nabbing 12 interceptions.  He also managed to return one for a touchdown and record two fumble recoveries over the course of his season. 

This astonishing performance would go down as one of the most overlooked rookie years in history.

5. Mike Thomas

Another overlooked rookie.  History seems to have forgotten the man named the 1975 API offensive rookie of the year. 

Mike Thomas ran for 919 yards and four touchdowns, and had 483 yards and three additional touchdowns receiving.

4. Art Monk

During his rookie year, the athletic workhorse was a unanimous All-Rookie selection and had 58 receptions, a Redskins' rookie record. Monk racked up 797 yards and set himself up as the go-to receiver for the next 13 years.

3. Darrell Green

Darrell Green was selected 28th overall in the 1983 NFL Draft by the Washington Redskins.

The first time he touched the ball, during a pre-season game against the Atlanta Falcons, he returned a punt 61 yards for a touchdown.

Then, in week one, he ran down running back Tony Dorsett of the Dallas Cowboys to prevent a touchdown, earning the instant adoration of fans everywhere.

Green was the runner-up for the Associated Press NFL Rookie of the Year Award. He also finished fourth on the team in tackles with 109 and led the team in solo tackles with 79.

2. Charley Taylor

Charlie Taylor was drafted in 1964 and went to work. 

He became the first rookie in 20 years to finish in the NFL's top 10 in both rushing and receiving; 755 yards rushing, 53 catches for 814 yards receiving.  As a result, he won the UPI NFL-NFC Rookie of the Year award as a running back.

1. Slingin' Sammy Baugh

Seriously, this is a no brainer. 

Everyone knows Sammy Baugh was a complete phenomenon during his years as the Redskins "everything guy," but most people don't realize his dominance started day one. I cannot think of a more amazing rookie year than his.

During his rookie season in 1937, Baugh played quarterback, defensive back and punter. As if that isn't enough, he set an NFL record for completions with 91 in 218 attempts and threw for a league-high 1,127 yards. He took the Redskins to the NFL Championship game against the Chicago Bears, where he finished 17 of 33 for 335 yards and his second-half touchdown passes of 55, 78 and 33 yards gave Washington a 28–21 victory.

Greatest. Rookie. Ever.