Top 15 NFL Offensive Rookies 2012

 

The 2012 NFL season was the year of the rookie. From first round picks like Andrew Luck to late round picks like Alfred Morris, it seemed that more than any other year rookies made huge impacts on teams and put up some huge numbers. Here is my list of the top 15 offensive rookies from the 2012 NFL season:

15. Bryce Brown (Philadelphia Eagles)- Starting off the countdown is the backup running back for the Eagles, Bryce Brown. Despite only playing 13 games in college, Brown has done a good job backing up McCoy, who had a down season. He finished his rookie campaign with 564 yards and four touchdowns, including two games over 150 yards. Brown does display some impressive speed and power, but does suffer from too many fumbles and struggling as a blocker. The Eagles have had very few bright spots in their terrible season, but Brown has shown that he can complement McCoy and be a key part of Philly’s offense.

14. Kendall Wright (Tennessee Titans)- While Tennessee has had a pretty disappointing year; they did have a bright spot in Kendall Wright. The rookie out of Baylor finished the year with 64 receptions (tied rookie lead), 626 yards, and 4 touchdowns. Wright was mostly used this season on short slants and screens, but still has the ability to beat the defense down the field. He has been hurt by some drops and the fact that he is third on the depth chart behind talented receivers Kenny Britt and Nate Washington. Wright is on track to be very solid player for the Titans and become their most dangerous weapon. 


 13. Vick Ballard (Indianapolis Colts)- With all of the talented rookies on the Colts’ offense, Ballard sometimes gets overlooked, which he should not. Climbing his way up to the top of the depth chart in the middle of the season, the 5h round pick finished with 814 yards and 2 touchdowns. Ballard is proving he is a very powerful runner, capable of pounding the defense. He even gave us one of the most exciting plays of the year with his diving corkscrew TD in overtime. Ballard will be the key in helping the Colts running attack improve in the next couple of seasons.   

12. Brandon Weeden (Cleveland Browns)- The 29 year old rookie has had a very up and down season for the Browns this year. He has trouble adjusting to the Browns system and sometimes did not look comfortable out there. However, given with what franchise he is with, Weeden did look good at some parts during the season and could advance when his team does. He finished the year with 3,385 yards (2^nd among rookies), 14 TDs and 17 INT’s. While the jury is still out, with a new coach and experience Weeden should have a successful 2013.  

           11. Chris Givens (St. Louis Rams)- This wide receiver out of Wake Forest was not even the first receiver selected by the Rams in the draft, but quickly proved to be one of Sam Bradford’s most dangerous targets. Givens is extremely fast (4.37 40 yard dash time), and has incredible big play ability, which he showed off many times this season. He finished his rookie season with 698 yards and 3 TD's. Givens is a little small, but he makes up for that with his speed and gave St. Louis the vertical threat they desperately needed. It would not be surprising if next season Givens becomes the lead receiver for the Rams, making them a playoff contender.

        10. Josh Gordon (Cleveland Browns)- Coming in at #10 is a player who was not even taken in the NFL Draft. Josh Gordon was selected by Cleveland in the second round of the Supplemental Draft, a risk that has paid off. Gordon finished the year with 805 receiving yards and 5 touchdowns. Gordon had some problems in his collegiate career, but showed off his skills and climbed to number one on the Brown’s depth chart. He did suffer from being away from the game for a year and not having as much time as other rookies, but he showed why he will be the superstar of the future for a shaky Browns team. 

         9. Ryan Tannehill (Miami Dolphins)- The third quarterback taken in the draft had a decent first year in Miami, actually breaking Dan Marino’s Dolphin rookie passing yards record. Tannehill finished the season with 3,294 yards with 12 TD’s and 13 INT’s. He has had some problems during the year, throwing some bad passes and making some questionable decisions. Still, Tannehill has looked pretty good in some games, and his athleticism has shown that he could become a dynamic QB. Given more experience, and some receiver help, Tannehill can become a very successful NFL QB.

1       8. TY Hilton (Indianapolis Colts)- The trend in the NFL of smaller slot receivers continued in Indianapolis, with TY Hilton helping lead the Colts to the playoffs. The 5’9 receiver out of FIU finished the year with 50 receptions for 861 yards and 7 touchdowns. Hilton has great speed and always finds a way to get open for fellow Rookie Andrew Luck. Aside from helping the Colts on offense, Hilton has done a great job returning kicks/punts for them, racking up 418 yards and 1 touchdown. With his blazing speed (4.34 40 time), Hilton will have no problem burning defenses for years to come.

1       7. Justin Blackmon (Jacksonville Jaguars)- The first wide out taken in the draft started off the season painfully slow (0 touchdowns in first seven games), but finished hotter than any other receiver in the NFL. Blackmon finished the year with 64 receptions for 865 yards and five touchdowns. He has amazing hands and his explosiveness makes him a giant threat down the field. A huge part of his struggles during the year had to do with the quarterback (or lack thereof) problems that the Jaguars had the entire year. If Jacksonville can get a solid QB and Blackmon can keep his attitude in check, he will become one of the great WR's of the league.

           6. Trent Richardson (Cleveland Browns)- The first running back in the 2012 NFL Draft had a pretty solid year for the Cleveland Browns. He was the workhorse for the Browns and finished just under 1,000 yards with 950 and 11 touchdowns. Richardson has a lot of talent and really knows how to pound the defense. He has had knee problems all year (and apparently broken ribs), which has made him less impactful as he would be healthy.  The back from Alabama might suffer a little bit from the team he is on, but that won’t stop him from becoming a premier back in the future.  

          5. Doug Martin (Tampa Bay Buccaneers)- The first round pick out of Boise State has been very impressive in his first year with the Buccaneers. Known for putting up some huge games (251 yards against Oakland), Martin finished the season with 1,454 yards and 11 touchdowns. He is a very determined runner always finding the holes and fighting for those extra yards. Martin also adds to the receiving game, racking up nearly 500 yards this season. While he did have some slow games later in the season, he finished off on a high note with 142 yards against the Falcons.  As the Buccaneers start moving forward, Doug Martin will only get better and better.

          4. Alfred Morris (Washington Redskins)- Every year there seems to be a player that comes out of the late rounds in the draft and becomes a superstar. This year that was Alfred Morris. Morris was a sixth round pick out of FAU, but managed to climb to #1 on the Redskins depth chart by opening day. He led all rookie running backs in yards (1,613), TD's (13), and Yards/Game (100.8), all while competing for running plays against his QB. This bruiser has pounded defenses leading to seven games with over 100 rushing yards, including 200 in the playoff clinching win over Dallas the last week of the season. Morris has had a strong rookie season, which will translate into many successful seasons in the nation’s capital.

1      3. Russell Wilson (Seattle Seahawks)- Going into the preseason no one would have thought that Wilson would be the one to come out at the top of the depth chart. But that is exactly what this third round pick out of Wisconsin did. He continued to impress the whole season as he threw for 3,118 yards with 26 TD’s, and helped lead the Seahawks to an 11-5 record and a playoff berth. While Wilson might have a more talented team around him compared to the other two big rookie QB’s, this underdog has still stood out and play a key role in huge wins including a three game stretch where the Seahawks beat opponents by a combined 150-30. He will only get better with experience, and help lead the Seahawks to become a NFC powerhouse.

1       2. Andrew Luck (Indianapolis Colts)- The #1 overall pick in the draft comes in at #2 in the rankings. Andrew Luck has helped transform a 2-14 team still reeling from the Peyton Manning divorce, to a 10-6 playoff contender. Luck has impressed in his first year, throwing for (a NFL rookie record) 4,347 yards with 23 touchdowns to an offense mostly filled with other talented rookies. He has proven his value, looking most of the time like he is a veteran of the NFL. The only knock on him is that he is tied for the lead league in INT’s, but that is small compared to all of the amazing passes he had completed. Luck has a bright future ahead of him and has helped the Colts go back to NFL prominence after a year absence.

1       1. Robert Griffin III (Washington Redskins)- At number one is none other than Redskins QB Robert Griffin III. RGIII was selected second overall in this year’s draft out of Baylor, and changed the environment in Washington instantly. Griffin has not only torn up opposing secondaries, throwing for 3,200 yards with 20 touchdowns, but also broke down defenses with his feet, rushing for 815 yards and 7 TD’s. RGIII’s impact goes way beyond the field however, as he helped rejuvenate a Redskins franchise that had seemed to be stuck in neutral. He gave the spark the team needed to come out on top of a competitive division. Thanks to Griffin the Redskins finished 10-6 and are in the playoffs for the first time since 2007.