Defensive rookies - draft and production (1 Viewer)

[Bracie Smathers]

Checking back on the 2010 top drafted defensive rookies and how they have perfomed so far.

Defensive Ends

No. Round Pick Player Name Team College

1 1 10 Tyson Alualu Jaguars California

solos -- 14

assists 3

sacks -- 1.5

A suprise pick at the time of the draft but he's looked good and has produced solidly so far. He ranks 18 in terms of total tackles by rookies so far this season.

2 1 13 Brandon Graham Eagles Michigan

solos -- 7

assists 0

sacks -- 2

Brandon has shown pass rush ability but he's not racking up tackle stats. He's tied at 32 in terms of rookie tackles this year so far.

2 1 15 Jason Pierre-Paul Giants South Florida

solos -- 8

assists 1

sacks -- 0

Tough line to get playing time. He ranks 28th in tackles for rookie defenders so far this year.

3 1 16 Derrick Morgan Titans Georgia Tech

solos -- 3

assists 2

sacks -- 1.5

***Derrick got hurt and is currently on injured reserve. He looked good in the preseason and began his career with a sack in his first game and a half sack in his second game before going down in his third game and landing on IR.

4 1 31 31 Jerry Hughes Colts Texas Christian

Listed as a LB on many draft boards and hasn't done much behind two pro bowl DEs.

I only took a quick glance at the remaining rookie defensive ends drafted after the first round and none stood out to me but if I am missing someone who put up huge numbers then reply.

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Defensive Tackles

Year No. Round Pick Player Name Team College

1 1 2 Ndamukong Suh Lions Nebraska

solos -- 21

assists 4

sacks -- 4.5

Add in an interception and 2 passes defensed for Suh. Ndamukong ranks 17th in tackles for rookies.

2 1 3 Gerald McCoy Buccaneers Oklahoma

solos -- 6

assists 1

sacks -- 0

The talk at the time of the draft was that McCoy would be a better pass rusher than Suh but it is obvious that Suh is the better player.

3 1 26 Dan Williams Cardinals Tennessee

solos -- 2

assists 1

sacks -- 0

Not much to report on here.

4 1 28 Jared Odrick Dolphins Penn State

solos -- 1

assists 0

sacks -- 0

See above.

Second round

7 2 44 LaMarr Houston Raiders Texas

solos -- 7

assists 2

sacks -- 1

Houston got some buzz on the boards so I sought out his stats to see how he compared to the top drafted rookies. LaMarr ranks 32 in terms of total tackles for rookies and he also has a recoverd fumble.

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Linebackers

Year No. Round Pick Player Name Team College

1 1 8 Rolando McLain Raiders Alabama

solos -- 21

assists 12

sacks -- 0

The consensus top target to be a potential 'stud' MLB. He's put up respectable numbers but not 'stud' IDP numbers so far.

3 1 19 Sean Weatherspoon Falcons Missouri

solos -- 25

assists 4

sacks -- 1

This is more like it. Sean currently ranks 4th overall for this rookie class.

Second round

2 40 Koa Misi Dolphins Utah

solos -- 8

assists 4

sacks -- 3

Nice sack numbers but currently ranks 28th in total tackles of rookies.

2 43 Sergio Kindle Ravens Texas

Skipped over due to low numbers.

2 47 Daryl Washington Cardinals Texas Christian

solos -- 27

assists 4

sacks -- 0

Solid production but no big plays, i.e., sacks interceptions, fumble recoveries.

2 20 52 Jason Worilds Steelers Virginia Tech

2 21 53 Jermaine Cunningham Patriots Florida

2 23 55 Sean Lee Cowboys Penn State

2 30 62 Brandon Spikes Patriots Florida

solos -- 13

assists 18

sacks -- 0

Unusually high number of assisted tackles tends to not be a good thing because it hints a guy isn't bringing down a ball carrier un-assisted but assisted tackles are at the disgretion of the stat person at each stadium so I am suspicious of the high number of assists given to Spikes considering that Patrick Chung gets a high number of assisted tackles meaning I think the stat person at Foxburough is generous in awardind assists so I tend to suspect the high number of assisted tackles awarded to Spikes.

2 31 63 Patrick Angerer Colts Iowa

Skipped over due to current low-production.

Third round

3 79 Donald Butler Chargers Washington

Skipped injured

3 91 Navorro Bowman 49ers Penn State

solos -- 14

assists 4

sacks -- 0

Bowman stood out because he was drafted in the third round and he currently ranks 18th out of rookies for tackles.

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Should have broken up into three parts of DLmen, LBers, and DBs, so I'll do DBs in next post.

 

[saintfool]

2 20 52 Jason Worilds Steelers Virginia Tech 2 21 53 Jermaine Cunningham Patriots Florida 2 23 55 Sean Lee Cowboys Penn State

worilds wasn't going to get any playing time this year. he has to bide his time before getting his shot. with the steelers history of drafting talent at the position, i'm optimistic for his future. he's a dynasty stash.cunningham is starting to get playing time. i just don't know how much production he's going to get with guyton, spikes, chung, etc flying around the field. lee should see playing time increase. jason williams was the heir apparent at ILB going into the season but i'm pretty sure he's been put off by lee.

 

[Bracie Smathers]

con't

Defensive Backs

No. Round Pick Player Name Team College

1 1 5 Eric (James?) Berry Chiefs Tennessee

solo - 20

asst - 7

ints - 0

Berry has put up solid numbers, currently 11th in total tackles for this rookie class, but no INTs or PDs.

2 1 7 Joe Haden Browns Florida

solo - 16

asst - 2

ints - 1

PDs - 5

Joe's stats shocked me. I didn't realize he has been this productive. He ranks 16 in terms of total tackles from this draft class and he's not starting but soon may push CB Eric Wright to the nickel/dime back roll that he currently holds.

3 1 14 Earl Thomas Seahawks Texas

solo - 23

asst - 4

ints - 3

PDs - 6

I luv Earl Thomas. He has big play ability with 2 INTs and he's solid against the pass with 6 PDs but he also is tied at 5th in total tackles from this draft class.

4 1 20 Kareem Jackson Texans Alabama

solo - 22

asst - 10

ints - 1

PDs - 6

Great numbers for Jackson, currently ranks 8th in tackles from this rookie class

5 1 27 Devin McCourty Patriots Rutgers

solo - 21

asst - 2

ints - 0

PDs - 0

Good tackle numbers but the NE pass defense is sketchy so the rook probably has a hand in the weak pass defense due to zero pass defenses and zero inteceptions so he's on the field more and picked on hence his high tackle numbers.

6 1 29 Kyle Wilson Jets Boise State

7 1 32 Patrick Robinson Saints Florida State

Second round

8 2 34 Chris Cook Vikings Virginia

9 2 37 Nate Allen Eagles South Florida

solo - 23

asst - 0

ints - 3

PDs - 9

sack - 1

Great production, tied at 5th in total tackles from this draft class, and big play ability. I didn't realize how great Nate has played till going over the numbers.

10 2 38 T.J. Ward Browns Oregon

solo - 41

asst - 13

INTs - 0

FF --- 1

The tackle numbers by Ward DOUBLE those of the next highest rated DB. He is the top dog in terms of tackle number from this rookie class. In addition to the amazing tackle numbers he also is a special teams demon with 6 special team tackles and he has a blocked kick.

11 2 49 Taylor Mays 49ers USC

solo - 17

asst - 2

Taylor had one big game but not much else so I cut off listing rookie stats with Taylor Mays unless they ranked higher than May's stat line.

12 2 50 Javier Arenas Chiefs Alabama

Third round

13 3 1 65 Jerome Murphy Rams South Florida

14 3 2 66 Amari Spievey Lions Iowa

15 3 3 67 Myron Lewis Buccaneers Vanderbilt

16 3 7 71 Morgan Burnett Packers Georgia Tech

17 3 11 75 Major Wright Bears Florida

18 3 12 76 Chad Jones Giants Louisiana State

19 3 30 94 Kevin Thomas Colts USC

20 3 32 96 Brandon Ghee Bengals Wake Forest

Fourth round

21 4 6 104 Alterraun Verner Titans UCLA

solo - 28

asst - 3

ints - 2

PDs - 9

FR --- 1

Who is this guy? He ranks 2nd out of all rookies and he was drafted in the fourth round. Great overall numbers and he is known by his owners but he should get more buzz.

Other DBs who rank high in tackle and other numbers:

(First number left of name is tackle ranking for rookies)

5 Perrish Cox DEN CB solo 23 asst 1 PDs 10 INT 1 FF 1

Cox has looked good. He plays on a sketchy pass defense and he plays opposite of Champ Bailey so he gets a double-whammy of the slingshot rookie corner scenario playing in his favor.

12 Cody Grimm TB FS solo 18 asst 6 PDs 4 INT 2 TD rt 1 FF 1

Son of Ross and he plays the sweet spot in the Tampa Bay defense and he's taking advantage of the cherry position by racking up the stats.

Looking at all of the rookie defensive players I would rank Suh as the top rookie and then I would put T.J. Ward of the Browns second.

Their are some other hot-shot rookie defenders but the overall game of Suh and the insane tackle numbers by Ward place them head and shoulders above the rest of the field at this time IMHO.

 

[John 14:6]

 

[Big Log]

Very good post Bracie. I think it's worth noting Angerer's stats after his first start last game.

Checking back on the 2010 top drafted defensive rookies and how they have perfomed so far.

Defensive Ends

No. Round Pick Player Name Team College

1 1 10 Tyson Alualu Jaguars California

solos -- 14

assists 3

sacks -- 1.5

A suprise pick at the time of the draft but he's looked good and has produced solidly so far. He ranks 18 in terms of total tackles by rookies so far this season.

2 1 13 Brandon Graham Eagles Michigan

solos -- 7

assists 0

sacks -- 2

Brandon has shown pass rush ability but he's not racking up tackle stats. He's tied at 32 in terms of rookie tackles this year so far.

2 1 15 Jason Pierre-Paul Giants South Florida

solos -- 8

assists 1

sacks -- 0

Tough line to get playing time. He ranks 28th in tackles for rookie defenders so far this year.

3 1 16 Derrick Morgan Titans Georgia Tech

solos -- 3

assists 2

sacks -- 1.5

***Derrick got hurt and is currently on injured reserve. He looked good in the preseason and began his career with a sack in his first game and a half sack in his second game before going down in his third game and landing on IR.

4 1 31 31 Jerry Hughes Colts Texas Christian

Listed as a LB on many draft boards and hasn't done much behind two pro bowl DEs.

I only took a quick glance at the remaining rookie defensive ends drafted after the first round and none stood out to me but if I am missing someone who put up huge numbers then reply.

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Defensive Tackles

Year No. Round Pick Player Name Team College

1 1 2 Ndamukong Suh Lions Nebraska

solos -- 21

assists 4

sacks -- 4.5

Add in an interception and 2 passes defensed for Suh. Ndamukong ranks 17th in tackles for rookies.

2 1 3 Gerald McCoy Buccaneers Oklahoma

solos -- 6

assists 1

sacks -- 0

The talk at the time of the draft was that McCoy would be a better pass rusher than Suh but it is obvious that Suh is the better player.

3 1 26 Dan Williams Cardinals Tennessee

solos -- 2

assists 1

sacks -- 0

Not much to report on here.

4 1 28 Jared Odrick Dolphins Penn State

solos -- 1

assists 0

sacks -- 0

See above.

Second round

7 2 44 LaMarr Houston Raiders Texas

solos -- 7

assists 2

sacks -- 1

Houston got some buzz on the boards so I sought out his stats to see how he compared to the top drafted rookies. LaMarr ranks 32 in terms of total tackles for rookies and he also has a recoverd fumble.

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Linebackers

Year No. Round Pick Player Name Team College

1 1 8 Rolando McLain Raiders Alabama

solos -- 21

assists 12

sacks -- 0

The consensus top target to be a potential 'stud' MLB. He's put up respectable numbers but not 'stud' IDP numbers so far.

3 1 19 Sean Weatherspoon Falcons Missouri

solos -- 25

assists 4

sacks -- 1

This is more like it. Sean currently ranks 4th overall for this rookie class.

Second round

2 40 Koa Misi Dolphins Utah

solos -- 8

assists 4

sacks -- 3

Nice sack numbers but currently ranks 28th in total tackles of rookies.

2 43 Sergio Kindle Ravens Texas

Skipped over due to low numbers.

2 47 Daryl Washington Cardinals Texas Christian

solos -- 27

assists 4

sacks -- 0

Solid production but no big plays, i.e., sacks interceptions, fumble recoveries.

2 20 52 Jason Worilds Steelers Virginia Tech

2 21 53 Jermaine Cunningham Patriots Florida

2 23 55 Sean Lee Cowboys Penn State

2 30 62 Brandon Spikes Patriots Florida

solos -- 13

assists 18

sacks -- 0

Unusually high number of assisted tackles tends to not be a good thing because it hints a guy isn't bringing down a ball carrier un-assisted but assisted tackles are at the disgretion of the stat person at each stadium so I am suspicious of the high number of assists given to Spikes considering that Patrick Chung gets a high number of assisted tackles meaning I think the stat person at Foxburough is generous in awardind assists so I tend to suspect the high number of assisted tackles awarded to Spikes.

2 31 63 Patrick Angerer Colts Iowa

Skipped over due to current low-production.

Third round

3 79 Donald Butler Chargers Washington

Skipped injured

3 91 Navorro Bowman 49ers Penn State

solos -- 14

assists 4

sacks -- 0

Bowman stood out because he was drafted in the third round and he currently ranks 18th out of rookies for tackles.

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Should have broken up into three parts of DLmen, LBers, and DBs, so I'll do DBs in next post.

 

[Big Log]

Patrick Robinson should see alot more action while Tracey Porter is out and in his limited time so far he's put up decent numbers.

17 solos, 2 assists and 2 PDs. Nothing huge so far but worth keeping an eye on.

con't

Defensive Backs

No. Round Pick Player Name Team College

1 1 5 Eric (James?) Berry Chiefs Tennessee

solo - 20

asst - 7

ints - 0

Berry has put up solid numbers, currently 11th in total tackles for this rookie class, but no INTs or PDs.

2 1 7 Joe Haden Browns Florida

solo - 16

asst - 2

ints - 1

PDs - 5

Joe's stats shocked me. I didn't realize he has been this productive. He ranks 16 in terms of total tackles from this draft class and he's not starting but soon may push CB Eric Wright to the nickel/dime back roll that he currently holds.

3 1 14 Earl Thomas Seahawks Texas

solo - 23

asst - 4

ints - 3

PDs - 6

I luv Earl Thomas. He has big play ability with 2 INTs and he's solid against the pass with 6 PDs but he also is tied at 5th in total tackles from this draft class.

4 1 20 Kareem Jackson Texans Alabama

solo - 22

asst - 10

ints - 1

PDs - 6

Great numbers for Jackson, currently ranks 8th in tackles from this rookie class

5 1 27 Devin McCourty Patriots Rutgers

solo - 21

asst - 2

ints - 0

PDs - 0

Good tackle numbers but the NE pass defense is sketchy so the rook probably has a hand in the weak pass defense due to zero pass defenses and zero inteceptions so he's on the field more and picked on hence his high tackle numbers.

6 1 29 Kyle Wilson Jets Boise State

7 1 32 Patrick Robinson Saints Florida State

Second round

8 2 34 Chris Cook Vikings Virginia

9 2 37 Nate Allen Eagles South Florida

solo - 23

asst - 0

ints - 3

PDs - 9

sack - 1

Great production, tied at 5th in total tackles from this draft class, and big play ability. I didn't realize how great Nate has played till going over the numbers.

10 2 38 T.J. Ward Browns Oregon

solo - 41

asst - 13

INTs - 0

FF --- 1

The tackle numbers by Ward DOUBLE those of the next highest rated DB. He is the top dog in terms of tackle number from this rookie class. In addition to the amazing tackle numbers he also is a special teams demon with 6 special team tackles and he has a blocked kick.

11 2 49 Taylor Mays 49ers USC

solo - 17

asst - 2

Taylor had one big game but not much else so I cut off listing rookie stats with Taylor Mays unless they ranked higher than May's stat line.

12 2 50 Javier Arenas Chiefs Alabama

Third round

13 3 1 65 Jerome Murphy Rams South Florida

14 3 2 66 Amari Spievey Lions Iowa

15 3 3 67 Myron Lewis Buccaneers Vanderbilt

16 3 7 71 Morgan Burnett Packers Georgia Tech

17 3 11 75 Major Wright Bears Florida

18 3 12 76 Chad Jones Giants Louisiana State

19 3 30 94 Kevin Thomas Colts USC

20 3 32 96 Brandon Ghee Bengals Wake Forest

Fourth round

21 4 6 104 Alterraun Verner Titans UCLA

solo - 28

asst - 3

ints - 2

PDs - 9

FR --- 1

Who is this guy? He ranks 2nd out of all rookies and he was drafted in the fourth round. Great overall numbers and he is known by his owners but he should get more buzz.

Other DBs who rank high in tackle and other numbers:

(First number left of name is tackle ranking for rookies)

5 Perrish Cox DEN CB solo 23 asst 1 PDs 10 INT 1 FF 1

Cox has looked good. He plays on a sketchy pass defense and he plays opposite of Champ Bailey so he gets a double-whammy of the slingshot rookie corner scenario playing in his favor.

12 Cody Grimm TB FS solo 18 asst 6 PDs 4 INT 2 TD rt 1 FF 1

Son of Ross and he plays the sweet spot in the Tampa Bay defense and he's taking advantage of the cherry position by racking up the stats.

Looking at all of the rookie defensive players I would rank Suh as the top rookie and then I would put T.J. Ward of the Browns second.

Their are some other hot-shot rookie defenders but the overall game of Suh and the insane tackle numbers by Ward place them head and shoulders above the rest of the field at this time IMHO.

 

[Dave Larkin]

Call me a homer, but I've been so impressed by what I've seen from our boy DE Greg Hardy. For the 175th pick in the draft, he has racked up 11 tackles and a sack already. What's more impressive is that he is performing well out there and seeing meaningful snaps. He's also been responsible for a safety (Week 1 @ NYG). One to watch for sure.

 

[msommer]

I thought Morgan Burnett was doing well until his injury. 12 solo tackles, 2 assists and an interception before getting injured

 

[Slevin Kelevra]

RolandA McClain = bust so far

 

[Bracie Smathers]

To touch of some of the feedback.

I took a look at the top of the draft and compared them with nfl.com's stat tool where you can pick out rookie stats and look at them apart from the rest of the league.

It gives a nice snapshot of a place in time and might be useful to periodically check-in on the rookie draft class to gauge how draft takes compare with rookie production.

I know some veteran teams like the Steelers with LeBaugh (sp?) tend to not play rookies and gradually work them in and to not expect anything significant until the second year unless he gets ahold of a stud ALA Troy P. But see the Ziggy Hood time-line or the Laurence Timmons weening into the lineup as the rule of how Pittsburgh works in rookies. Others like Eric Mangini will work in a rookie with talent immediately, like a T.J. Ward or a Darrelle Revis but he will also hold back a player like Joy Haden if he has two veterans like Eric Wright and Sheldon Brown to allow a rookie time to get up to speed even if his raw talent supercedes the vets in front of him.

On individual players, I don't have book on everyone because I don't catch all games and only see snippets. Having said that, I have only seen a bit of Pat Angerer and I can't say I was ovely impressed because I wasn't. He is a rookie and it was his first action so he should get better but my first impression was that I was a guy getting late to the action and seeming very out of sorts.

I've got to see a bit of Perrish Cox and I think he will be a very good player for a long time. Also the top two rookies have been extremely impressive, Ndamukong Suh and T.J. Ward. I think DROY will be one of those two and excellent cases can be made for either one of them. I automatically tend to bias myself along the Bill Parcells 'Planet Theory' that states that their are only so many big men on the planet who can do athletic things and their are even fewer who can do atheletic things well on the football field but T.J. Ward's numers are so off the charts that I can't overlook him or say that Suh should win DROY.

Right now its too close to call. Both are incredible but since Suh was taken at the top of the draft he is hitting his high expectations but Ward is faaaar exceeding his high expectations especially since may thought he was taken higher than he should have been in the second round so I think Suh had more buzz coming into the season but Ward's story is more compelling.

Really too close to call right now but one might pull away before the end of the season.

 

[johnnyboy8102]

2 30 62 Brandon Spikes Patriots Florida

solos -- 13

assists 18

sacks -- 0

Unusually high number of assisted tackles tends to not be a good thing because it hints a guy isn't bringing down a ball carrier un-assisted but assisted tackles are at the disgretion of the stat person at each stadium so I am suspicious of the high number of assists given to Spikes considering that Patrick Chung gets a high number of assisted tackles meaning I think the stat person at Foxburough is generous in awardind assists so I tend to suspect the high number of assisted tackles awarded to Spikes.

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See Mayo, Jerod

 

[The Man With No Name]

con't

2 1 7 Joe Haden Browns Florida

solo - 16

asst - 2

ints - 1

PDs - 5

Joe's stats shocked me. I didn't realize he has been this productive. He ranks 16 in terms of total tackles from this draft class and he's not starting but soon may push CB Eric Wright to the nickel/dime back roll that he currently holds.

Just saw an interview with browns GM Tom Heckert and he said Haden has played 45% of the snaps so far. So his numbers should increase a lot when he becomes a starter. Could be soon. Wright looks real bad.