Ranking the NFL rookies who could have sudden impact
Starting with top draft picks Joe Burrow, Chase Young, then going to some surprises
Nate Davis
The transition from college football to the NFL is rarely easy. It’s a hurdle which will likely be especially high in 2020 given the abbreviated and virtual offseason necessitated by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Still, circumstances and talent always permit some greenhorns to excel, and that will doubtless be the case again whenever football resumes. Here are 20 rookies who could make instant impact in 2020:
1. Bengals QB Joe Burrow (first round / 1st overall): Instantaneous success for No. 1 picks is hardly a given – and sometimes not even possible. QB Carson Palmer, the last player Cincinnati took first overall, redshirted in 2003. Andy Dalton’s release means Burrow won’t have that luxury. Yet he also seems uniquely positioned to thrive, dropped into an offense that will feature myriad weapons in WRs A.J. Green, Tyler Boyd and rookie Tee Higgins plus RB Joe Mixon. The Bengals coaching staff has also had months to get familiar with Burrow during virtual meetings, plenty of time to find ways to tailor the offense to his preferences while also potentially replicating some of LSU’s playbook.
2. Redskins DE Chase Young (first round / 2nd overall): When you’re widely considered to be a draft’s premier prospect, the learning curve shouldn’t be that daunting – though it typically is for young pass rushers. Like former Ohio State teammate Nick Bosa last year, Young will join a defensive line loaded with talent. Jonathan Allen, Ryan Kerrigan, Daron Payne and Montez Sweat all have first-round pedigree themselves and likely assure Young won’t command double teams until he proves they’re warranted. Like Bosa, Young should have a golden opportunity to be defensive rookie of the year given the cast he joins.
3. Raiders WR Henry Ruggs III (first round 12th overall): The first receiver picked in what has almost been universally hailed as a banner class at his position, Ruggs has something you don’t have to teach at the next level: elite speed, an attribute that enabled him to score on 25% of his touches at Alabama. Wideouts typically have one of the toughest adjustment periods, but that doesn’t mean Ruggs can’t beat DBs deep from Day 1 or take quick slants all the way. He can master nuances in time, but he shouldn’t need much to start getting into the end zone.
4. Vikings WR Justin Jefferson (first round / 22nd overall): He was Burrow’s highly productive (111 catches for 1,540 yards and 18 TDs in 2019) 1A option at LSU behind Biletnikoff Award winner Ja’Marr Chase. Jefferson could seamlessly assume a similar sidekick role to Adam Thielen in Minnesota. Catching 100+ balls as a rookie may not be realistic – the man Jefferson replaces, Stefon Diggs, only topped the century mark once – but he can surely do extensive damage from the slot with little fear of being double covered given the attention Thielen and RB Dalvin Cook command.
5. Ravens LB Patrick Queen (first round / 28th overall): Another guy with speed to burn, Queen could also benefit from playing a position that tends to translate most easily from college to the pros on the defensive side of the ball. He’s not the second coming of Ray Lewis, but Queen should be an every-down player able to upgrade a spot left vulnerable by C.J. Mosley’s free departure a year ago.
6. Colts WR Michael Pittman Jr. (second round / 34th overall): He and fellow rookie Jonathan Taylor should give last year’s 25th-ranked offense a needed jolt. Pittman (6-4, 223) in particular – Indy GM Chris Ballard compared him with Vincent Jackson, new Colts QB Philip Rivers’ teammate in San Diego – should be an immediate asset, the plus-sized wideout this attack has lacked lately, one who should become a welcome target for Rivers in the red zone and in jump-ball situations.
7. Lions RB D’Andre Swift (second round / 35th overall): Since Barry Sanders retired in 1999, this team has enjoyed four 1,000-yard rushing seasons from three players, none since 2013. Swift totaled nearly 2,300 yards on the ground over his final two season at Georgia and has the tools to supplant oft-injured Kerryon Johnson, perhaps on an every-down basis.
8. Giants S Xavier McKinney (second round / 36th overall): The type of new-age defensive back who can play deep, in the box or cover the slot. McKinney has a reputation as an alpha
who could stabilize a defense that was especially vulnerable on the back end. Potentially a better version of Giants predecessor Landon Collins.
9. Browns S Grant Delpit (second round / 44th overall): A near-surefire first-rounder had he been eligible for the 2019 draft, Delpit won the Thorpe Award as the country’s top college defensive back last season despite being hindered by a high ankle sprain and too many missed tackles. Healthy again, he’s got the goods to be the playmaker that’s been lacking in the middle of Cleveland’s defense.
10. Buccaneers S Antoine Winfield Jr. (second round / 45th overall): Despite having one of the league’s most effective pass rushes in 2019, the Bucs had the third-worst pass defense. Another versatile defender who can range from the slot to center field, Winfield should immediately upgrade what’s been a weak secondary in recent years.
11. Rams RB Cam Akers (second round / 52nd overall): One of Florida State’s few bright spots in 2019, he ran for 1,144 yards and 14 TDs. Used to operating behind a bad line, no reason Akers can’t be the guy to fill the void left by Todd Gurley’s departure and stabilize an offense that wasn’t nearly as good when QB Jared Goff was constantly putting the ball in the air.
12. Saints LB Zack Baun (third round, 74th overall): The Saints moved up to get him, and it’s little wonder why. Baun has first-round talent – a diluted urine sample from the scouting combine probably didn’t help his cause – and could perform several services for a team clearly in go-for-broke mode. Baun’s range, capability in coverage and – especially – pass-rush production (121⁄2 sacks last season, 191⁄2 tackles for loss) could earn him every-down snaps with one of the league’s more underrated defenses.
13. Buccaneers RB Ke’Shawn Vaughn (third round, 76th overall): Much has been made of new QB Tom Brady’s new aerial circus, which includes WRs Mike Evans and Chris Godwin plus TB12’s old buddy, TE Rob Gronkowski. With defenses likely to opt for
nickel and dime packages against such beasts, the Bucs must be able to exploit light boxes yet don’t necessarily have a reliable do-it-all back. Vaughn, who amassed more than 2,700 yards in two years with a limited Vanderbilt offense, isn’t the most physically gifted guy but runs hard and has the ability to be a safety valve on third down.
14. Bills RB Zack Moss (third round, 86th overall): This offense could use a tone setter following the departure of Frank Gore, who led Buffalo with 166 carries in 2019. Moss could certainly step into that breach and provide a physical presence – and perhaps significantly improve on Gore’s 3.6 yards a carry last year – while ceding passing downs to second-year RB Devin Singletary. Definitely potential for a very nifty and highly complementary set of runners.
15. Patriots TE Devin Asiasi (third round, 91st overall): He had a breakout campaign in 2019, catching 44 balls for 641 yards at UCLA. The post-Gronk Pats got very little from their tight ends and generally need more playmaking from the skill positions. Even at 6-3, 257 pounds, Asiasi won’t make anyone forget Gronkowski, especially since he’s not nearly as effective a blocker. Still, he’s got the size and movement skills to fill a gaping hole and potentially earn early trust from Jarrett Stidham or whomever is under center this season.
16. Redskins WR Antonio GandyGolden (fourth round, 142nd overall): He’ll have to prove he can make the leap from Liberty to the NFL. That said, you can’t teach size anymore than you can speed, and Gandy-Golden is imposing at 6-4, 223 pounds with a respectable 4.6-second 40 time for his size. And he’s thrived after a jump in class before, scoring 10 TDs each of the past two seasons following the Flames’ FBS promotion. Rookie Terry McLaurin was the only Washington wideout to catch more than 35 passes in 2019. Big opportunity for Gandy-Golden to not only earn snaps but also establish himself as a viable target, particularly for a team in need of a red-zone threat.
17. Jets CB Bryce Hall (fifth round,
158th overall): A former receiver, his 6-1, 202-pound frame is desirable by defensive back standards and so are his ball skills – he broke up an FBS-leading 22 passes in 2018. An ankle injury ruined Hall’s senior season, but he could be primed for a major comeback given the opportunity to compete in a Jets secondary that’s hardly set at the corners.
18. Cowboys DE Bradlee Anae (fifth round, 179th overall): At 6-3, 257 pounds, he’s a touch undersized, especially since he lacks elite athleticism to compensate. Yet Anae is a relentless player who was extremely productive against Pac-12 competition over the past three years, amassing 38 TFLs and 271⁄2 sacks in 36 games. Anae could find a rotational role and would almost certainly never see a double team given the veteran depth (DeMarcus Lawrence, Gerald McCoy, Dontari Poe and Aldon Smith who is just off a suspension) already in place. And with no returning player managing more than five sacks last season, the Cowboys will definitely be looking for more production off the edge.
19. Chargers WR K.J. Hill (seventh round / 220th overall): You don’t want to expect too much from a Round 7 selection, but Hill’s got a shot to make his mark with the Bolts, who got almost no production from wide receivers last year aside from starters Keenan Allen and Mike Williams. Ohio State’s all-time leader with 201 receptions, Hill certainly has the ability to move the chains on third down while working underneath and could be a guy a conservative QB like Tyrod Taylor might look for.
20. Colts K Rodrigo Blankenship (undrafted): He won the Groza Award, honoring the nation’s top kicker, while at Georgia last year but didn’t get picked in April. Blankenship connected on 84% of his field goals over the past three seasons and converted all 200 of his extrapoint tries in college, though he’ll have to adapt to the NFL’s longer PAT. Still, if Blankenship can beat out Chase McLaughlin, he could become a crucial part of the Colts roster and potentially ensure the door closes on Adam Vinatieri.