The draft has come and gone so now it’s time to essentially guess how the season is going to play out for the rookie class. It’s never too early to predict awards so let’s see how everything will shake out.
Biggest Impact: QB DeShaun Watson, Houston Texans. Houston seems to have solved the only problem that’s been holding them back for the past two seasons. DeShaun has the tools and has won on every level. He also has a cupboard full of talent and one of the best defenses in the league.Watson doesn’t need to come in and be superman, he just needs to be better than Brock which shouldn’t be hard….at all.
Nuk is happy.
😁
— Deandre Hopkins (@DeAndreHopkins) April 28, 2017
Breakout Rookie: RB Alvin Kamara, New Orleans Saints. The Saints invested every pick in the draft to defense except Kamara. The Tennessee running back is a great fit for a high explosive New Orleans attack. His ability to make people miss and breaking arm tackles will add a much needed underneath layer for Brees and company. Don’t be shocked if Kamara is in the discussion for rookie of the year.
Best Value: CB Sidney Jones, Philadelphia Eagles. Jones tore his achilles during Washington’s pro day which led to a draft day slide. Before the injury he was considered a top-tier talent and, reports say, that the Eagles were interested in taking him at number fourteen overall. The Eagles still get their much needed number one corner but 29 picks later. Jones said he should be good to go by October but the Eagles need to be smart and shut him down for the entire year. If Sidney recovers the Eagles would have gotten two top-fifteen talents in the first round.
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Worst Season: QB Mitch Trubisky, Chicago Bears. I’ve said multiple times that I don’t get the hype Mitch received during the draft process. He’s only started a handful of games and couldn’t win the starting job at UNC, it had to be handed to him. That doesn’t change the fact that the Bears sold the farm to get what they think is their guy. The plan is to have Trubisky sit behind Mike Glennon for a year then become the starter next year. That’s great in theory but it’s a well known fact that the number two overall pick doesn’t sit for a year. Glennon will have a string of bad games and the organization will throw Trubisky to the wolves. The Bears’ schedule isn’t friendly, either. Their first eight games are against the Falcons, Buccaneers, Steelers, Packers, Vikings, Ravens, Panthers, and Saints. Good luck, Chicago.
Defensive Rookie of The Year: DE Jonathan Allen, Washington. Yes, Allen has an arthritic shoulder but that doesn’t take away that he’s a top-five talent that slipped to Washington at seventeen. Allen will have plenty of one-on-one opportunities with Kerrigan on the other side of the line. Throw in Norman taking away one half of the field and Washington’s defense is now problem for opposing offenses.
Offensive Rookie of the Year: WR Mike Williams, Los Angeles Chargers. Anyone who has remotely followed me knows how much I loved Williams. Clemson has turned into Wide Receiver University and I expect Williams to keep that trend going. We know what Rivers can do with big targets, just watch tape of him and Antonio Gates over the past decade. Williams won’t kill you with speed but his catch radius and size will wreak havoc in the AFC West.
Rookie of the Year: RB Leonard Fournette, Jacksonville Jaguars. Blake Bortles is slowly falling off a cliff so Tom Coughlin went old school and found a bruising running back to help. Fournette is the second coming of Adrian Peterson so it’s only right that he win ROY. His presence will make Blake’s life a lot easier and hopefully Jacksonville can compete in the AFC.
This draft class can be something special, especially at running back. It’s going to be interesting to see how the season unfolds. I’ll make sure to let you know how this list pans out, especially the ones I get right.
Tweet Me: @mattgarrett41
As always, thanks for reading.
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