NFL Rookie Review - 3 Weeks In
By Carl Ey
Do you hear the weeping and gnashing of teeth? Do you realize the pain that I am enduring to pen this article? I think I would rather enjoy hour-long sessions of Edward Scissorhands scraping a blackboard than I would take time out of my extraordinarily busy schedule to write this article. However, because it isn’t easy for me, because I have blown off this deadline for over 10 days, I have put my mind to doing my best at winning a Pulitzer for this effort.
The bottom line is that I don’t believe in drafting rookies ever! What for? The draft in general is so unpredictable with injuries, players getting benched etc., that taking that extra few minutes to figure out how a rookie will fare is not worth the effort in my opinion. Let’s face it; the “heir-apparents” in the last few drafts have not been there. Alex Smith went number one this year and he can’t find time on a less-than-average 49ers squad. Did you really feel confident enough in your draft this year to read the tea leaves into picking Cadillac Williams in one of your top two rounds? Me neither and neither did the other 11 general managers in my league. Yet, this is a task that needs to be done so here we go and NO, I am not writing the Sophomore Busts article next year!
The number one rookie so far is simply, Cadillac Williams. It is a no-brainer. He was the rookie-of-the-week last week, has three 100-games in a row and will probably be rookie-of-the-year this season. He gets a solid A+ and if there was a higher grade, he would get that as well.
The number two guy in my opinion may shock you a bit because I know a lot of you fell in love with Ronnie Brown from Miami while you were drafting but his 224 rushing yards gets him third in my poll. Instead, why not enjoy Brandon Jacob’s affinity for scoring. It is kind of obvious that he is turning into the new “Bus.” Get the Giants close and look for him to bowl over the “bad guys” defensive line for a quick six. He gets a solid B+ and might get higher if the Giants didn’t have Tiki Barber.
The number three rookie is Ronnie Brown from Miami. He is a legitimate back with a nice 3.9 per carry average. Ricky Williams is on the horizon but Ronnie is doing enough to keep Ricky on a strong string when he gets back from vacation. Give him a B.
Mike Nugent gets a nod for the fourth best rookie out there. Who? Yeah, the kicker from the Jets is scoring well and standing up to the pressure of being an NFL kicker. Additionally, look for him to keep scoring only because the Jets won’t have a QB to get them into the end zone and Mike will be booting quite a few more field goals. And yes, he can continue. Rookie-of-the-year? No because a kicker is lucky to have a place at the team’s dinner table let alone garner votes from a finicky group of sportswriters but Nugent does deserve an A- for his performance.
Your certainly not going to agree with this next assessment but don’t be surprised if I hit the lottery after predicting the future on this one. Dan Orlovsky from Detroit will become a godsend to the Lions and enable them to reease the ball and chain known as Joey Harrington. With Jeff Garcia out and Harrington playing like a novice to the game of football, Orlovsky has nothing to lose so watch him step in and have a season one step down from the Rothlisberger effort of 2004. Dan gets a solid B and I predict this grade will improve when he starts to take all the snaps.
Give the number six bid to Braylon Edwards only because he is a guy you should look at getting if you are in a keeper league. This year, he has proven that he can catch the home-run ball and he is starting in Cleveland so that is an accomplishment for any rookie. Edwards get a B for his efforts.
Number seven goes to Derrick O. Johnson from the Chiefs. We have 14 weeks left in the season and Derrick already has one sack and 17 tackles. Look for him to come up big on Monday Night Football and get another sack or two, which of course gets all leagues a few points. Derrick deserves a B+ so far.
How about Heath Miller at the eight slot in this top-ten list? The Tight End already has his first NFL touchdown and as Big Ben gets more familiar with his new TE in Pittsburgh watch him excel. Miller garners a B.
You know the Vikings are in trouble this year and a pre-season does not make a solid receiving corps particularly after Randy Moss exited. However, after Nate Burleson, why not toss the rock at Troy Williamson. He has one TD this year and four receptions greater than 20 yards so Dante obviously has this kid in the corner of his eye. Give Troy a B- and start him on your team when your best are on a bye week.
A top ten list is incomplete without a tenth player but WOW! this is tough. I don’t think I would take the tenth rookie in a trade unless I was in a keeper league and therefore, I give it to Alex Smith and only because the 49ers are desperately trying to justify playing him. He gets a C because he hasn’t failed yet but I couldn’t even consider using him in a fantasy football contest. Give him time and hold your breath – everyone in the Bay area is.
The pain is over and I don’t even have to come off of a Novocain buzz. Hopefully, the editor will never give me this assignment again. Maybe next year, he will make my life easier and ask me to rate the top-ten mascots or best offensive lineman with fantasy implications. Anyway, don’t use the rookies. There are far too many fantasy contributors without stooping that low. By the way, I get an A for effort in writing this and the rest is up to you.
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