ROOKIE RATINGS
1. Adrian Peterson, RB, MIN – Although he may not post numbers in the first few weeks, it won’t take too long before the team realizes his skills. He should come close to a 1,000-yard season if he gets the playing time expected, but will definitely make the most impact of all rookies this season
2. Marshawn Lynch, RB, BUF – Camp & Pre-season hasn’t been all that great so far, but the team is bringing him along slowly to avoid any risk of injury. The team isn’t particularly deep at RB, so Lynch should see significant time right away
3. Calvin Johnson, WR, DET – No one can doubt his talent, but it may take a few weeks before he becomes consistent in his route-running and grasp of the offense. He also has to battle Roy Williams for his share of touches, but should fit in nicely by the mid-point of the season
4. Dwayne Jarrett, WR, CAR – People doubt his lack of speed, but his size and hands will help. He plays alongside of Steve Smith, who will take the pressure away from Jarrett. Jarrett should find himself open fairly often, and he can grab anything within his reach
5. Zach Miller, TE, OAK – The new offense will focus more on the TE routes, and the lack of protection from the line will result in a lot of quick drops and dump-offs to TE’s. Miller is disciplined and can catch anything thrown in his direction on a consistent basis
6. Steve Smith, WR, NYG – Where last year’s rookie Siniorice Moss left off, Smith will pick up. He has solid hands and is a disciplined route-runner. He was under-utilized in college, but the Giants will soon realize his skills and Smith will become a factor by season’s end
7. Ted Ginn, WR/RS, MIA – Although his return abilities will pay off for the ST Unit, his receiving numbers won’t be quite as high. Still, he should post decent enough numbers that a few FFL coaches will consider signing him somewhere in the middle of the season
8. Anthony Gonzalez, WR, IND – It will take a few weeks for him to get a good grasp of the offense, but don’t be too surprised if you see him atop of the rookie WR class in FFL numbers by the midpoint of this season. He has good hands and has better speed than most expect
9. Brandon Jackson, RB, GB – Although he is third on the depth chart in camp, he could end up with the starting job before long. He has good speed to break it to the outside, and is more of a workhorse than many thought before camp began
10. Paul Williams, WR, TEN – He has not received much publicity, but his size (6-1, 194) and speed (4.46) will allow him to make plays on the field. Also, the lack of WR depth in Tennessee will give him plenty of opportunities to succeed
11. Brady Quinn, QB, CLE – He should end up with the starting job before too long, and this should be Cleveland’s rebuilding year, resulting in more playing time for Quinn than any other QB drafted this season
12. Robert Meachem, WR, NO – With Joe Horn’s departure, the Saints will look for another WR to pick up some of the slack. Meachem has excellent speed, but his pre-season injury could slow of his development in this rookie campaign
13. Sidney Rice, WR, MIN – Although his fellow rookie teammate may grab the headlines, Rice will have his share of opportunities. The WR corps is weak in Minnesota, and Rice has all the physical tools for an NFL receiver to be successful
14. Craig Davis, WR, SD – He wasn’t utilized much in college, but he has excellent receiving skills and Norv Turner is a master of developing offensive talent early. Davis has some inconsistency problems, but the team is deep enough on offense to bring him along slowly
15. Chris Henry, RB, TEN – If Chris Brown falters early, the team could look to Henry to come in and make some big plays. LenDale White looks to be a bust, so Henry could get the early playing time as the main backup to Brown
16. Dwayne Bowe, WR, KC – He reported late to camp, so he’ll need some time to learn the offense, but his low rating has more to do with the lack of solid QB play than his physical abilities. Bowe would have benefited more if he played on a team that has an entrenched veteran at QB
17. Greg Olsen, TE, CHI – The Bears will try to employ more TE routes in their offense, but Olsen’s lack of blocking skills will keep him off the field more often than he’d like. Once Olsen learns better blocking skills, he could see much more time on the field to produce numbers
18. Roy Hall, WR, IND – He’s virtually an unknown, but the former Buckeye is a physical specimen (6-3, 221, 4.44) and has developed nicely in pre-season games. The depth at WR in Indy will pose as the main challenge for Hall to get significant playing time
19. Jacoby Jones, WR, TEN – Like Williams, Jones will have plenty of opportunities to produce, since the WR corps lacks depth. Jones is a more disciplined player than Williams, but he doesn’t quite have the open-field skills as Williams to make the big plays
20. JaMarcus Russell, QB, OAK – His long hold-out has hurt any chances of him playing well early on, and his development will likely be slow. The QB depth in Oakland has suddenly become deep, and Russell will need time to learn the offense and gain trust from his teammates
