5 Young NFL Players We Can't Evaluate Until They Get More Help Around Them

It's late in the 2011 season, and as such much of the focus is on the present and prospects for the playoffs that start in just a couple of weeks.

It's best not to forget, however, that for many of the players on the field, they are just starting out and they aren't always about the present. They are about the future.

Although there are dozens of players who need to be in better situations to truly shine, here's a list of five NFL first-year players whose skills are tough to evaluate until they get into better situations.

5. DT Marcell Dareus, Bills

It’s been a good, but not great, debut for Dareus, the third pick in the draft last year out of Alabama.

He has five-and-a-half sacks coming into this weekend, which puts him in the top 10 among all NFL rookies this season.

But while he has the potential to be a centerpiece player, he’s part of a defense that ranks 29^th against the rust this season.

More help is clearly needed.

4. WR Julio Jones, Falcons

Taken with the sixth pick in the draft (the Falcons traded up to get him out of Alabama), Jones comes into the final two games of the season having fulfilled most of Atlanta’s expectations.

Will he be a game breaker, though? Time will tell.

One thing that is clear: Atlanta could use more help on the offensive line to buy quarterback Matt Ryan more time.

And they could use Ryan, who is statistically the 10th best QB in the game today, to step it up some, too.

3. CB Patrick Peterson, Cardinals

The fifth pick in the 2011 draft out of Louisiana State, Peterson already has made a name for himself on special teams.

He opened eyes in the preseason on his first play with an interception he returned for a touchdown. He’s been even better in the regular season, running back four punts for touchdowns, tying the NFL record.

However, he has been prone to try and do too much as part of a shaky Arizona defense, getting called for too many penalties.

The Cardinals could be in the middle of building something big, however.

2. RT Tyron Smith, Cowboys

It’s tough to step up in the NFL as a rookie starter at any position, and the learning curve at offensive tackle is as difficult as any.

For Smith, it’s been even more difficult than most, because he began the season as one of three first-time starters on the offensive line—two rookies and an undrafted free agent.

It’s been tough on quarterback Tony Romo, who has been sacked 30 times already. But the Cowboys are showing some signs of progress and are increasingly willing to run behind Smith.

After a three-game span from Nov. 20-Dec. 4 in which Dallas had fewer than 90 yards rushing each time out, the Cowboys have 299 yards rushing the last two games coming into this weekend.

1. QB Blaine Gabbert, Jaguars

The Jaguars being the Jaguars, Gabbert has been forced to learn on the job.

He’s the regular quarterback and has played in 13 of the 4-10 Jaguars’ 14 games. That’s the good news for the 10^th pick in the draft out of Missouri.

But he ranks 32^nd among NFL quarterbacks, mostly because he doesn’t have much offensive help around him, although Maurice Jones-Drew probably will finish with 1,000 yards rushing this season.

It hasn’t helped that coach Jack Del Rio was replaced by Mel Tucker before Week 13. Jacksonville as a whole, and not just Gabbert, needs more stability.