10 Rookies That Could Make An Impact

Admit it folks, we all love speculation. If we didn’t, you wouldn’t be reading this right now. Sure, you may be telling yourself that you’re here only out of curiosity, but that curiosity is piqued because of the conjecture. Who’s team looks strongest? Who’s going to the Super Bowl? How will Player A do this season? We all do it. That being said, here are some opinions on another question we all tend to ask ourselves: Which rookies will have the greatest impact on their teams this year? The list isn’t in any particular order, so don’t blast us on where the players sit.

Ted Ginn, Jr. – Despite the naysayers, Ginn does have a lot of potential for the Dolphins. Was he picked too high? Probably, but that all depends on your point of view towards what draft value really means. For
Miami, it meant getting a receiver with good hands, speed to stretch the field, separation ability, return skills and good upside. Ginn should at least step directly into the third receiver slot and give whoever it is that will be the Dolphins’ starting quarterback a nice target. Add a speedy Chris Chambers to the mix along with Marty Booker, and you have a dangerous receiving corps. Ginn may be most beneficial in the return game, though – especially because Welker is gone. Unlike Welker, Ginn is a threat to take it to the endzone every time he touches the ball.

Patrick Willis – There’s not much doubt that Willis will quickly be moved into the starting middle linebacker position for
San Francisco. Whether the 3-4 or 4-3 is being run, he should make an impact very quickly. His size, speed and skills will play a big part in the entire defensive scheme. And, with a weak defensive line in front of him, he should have plenty of opportunities to make big plays.

Reggie Nelson – If you got to catch any
Florida games last year, one thing that should have stood out was the play of Mr. Nelson. He was everywhere. The kid has sick skills and awareness, always seems to be in the right position and hits like a freight train. He might not be as fast as LaRon Landry, but he’s still pretty quick. Team him with Donavan Darius and you have a dangerous safety combination. He gets the nod here instead of Landry because
Jacksonville has a much better defense. His presence will help the secondary immensely and cause quarterbacks and receivers to think twice about bringing the ball his way.

Paul Posluszny – Posluszny will fill a serious gap right away for the
Buffalo defense. There’s not a whole lot of talent left on that side of the ball for the Bills – and, come to think of it, there’s not much on the other side, as well. But, Posluszny should have ample opportunity to use his amazing instincts for the good of the team. Even better for Buffalo is that Posluszny can play outside or inside, making it easy for the team to put them in the best position they feel his skill set excels in. Expect a lot of tackles from him this year.

Chris Henry –
Tennessee is obviously not happy with LenDale White right now, and his enormous weight gain over the off-season has caused a lot of concern. Regardless, Henry is impressing all the coaches and staff with his demeanor and skills. A shifty, fast back, he should see a lot of playing time this season – either to spell White or to handle the starting duties.

Sabby Piscitelli – This isn’t to say that the Bucs’ Gaines Adams won’t have an impact on the defensive side of the ball. It’s just to say that Sabby should have an even greater impact. There has been constant speculation (and from very credible sources) that the Bucs will experiment with moving Will Allen back to strong safety – his original position – and insert Piscitelli into the free safety void. If you’ve watched Piscitelli play, you’d understand why. Although not incredible fast, he plays all out, is smart, uses his body well and is rarely out of position. Oh, and he punishes anybody that comes his way.

Leon Hall –
Cincinnati has needed a quality corner for some time now. Hall fits the bill. With great speed and skills, he could prove to be a difference maker for the defense this season. He will have to handle being picked on early in the year by opposing quarterbacks, but he should be able to shrug off the extra attention and turn some big plays. Remember, it was Cincy’s propensity for getting beat deep that eventually doomed them last year. Hall could change that.

Calvin Johnson – Say what you want, but Johnson really could help out the Lions like no other rookie receiver. It’s hard to ignore that Roy Williams and Mike Furrey did as good a job as they could last year on their own, but Johnson could open up the passing attack even more. Expect him to line up as the number two receiver, shifting Furrey to number three (how often does the league’s second leading receiver get demoted?). This will let Martz to just about whatever he wants in the passing with three credible threats and a physical freak to worry about. Even if Johnson doesn’t have a huge numbers, pay attention to the numbers of those around him, who may benefit more from Johnson than he himself.

Anthony Gonzalez – Indy needed to fill Brandon Stokely’s void, and they came through with Gonzalez. The guy is smart, quick, has excellent hands and will do whatever you ask of him. He most likely won’t have the stats this year, but his influence on the passing game will assist Marvin Harrison and Reggie Wayne immensely.

Alan Branch – Branch could very quickly find himself supplanting Kendrick Clancy as
Arizona’s starting defensive tackle. Yes, people saying that Branch lacks durability and work ethic, but there’s no desiring the guy’s ability to play and his physical ability to play well at the NFL level. If he truly is an upgrade to Clancy, you could see one of the best interiors in the game with Darnell Dockett lined up beside him.

Detroit Lions Calvin Johnson #81 NFL Replica Jersey by Reebok
Leon Hall Cincinnati Bengals Black NFL Replica Jersey
Ted Ginn Jr. Miami Dolphins White NFL Replica Jersey