NFL Week Three All Rookie Team
By Ben Natan
The best part about the draft evaluation process is finally getting to see the prospects make plays during a game. Some of guys have been better than expected, some worse and some are doing exactly what we thought. Here are the best rookies from week three of the NFL season.
Quarterback
Derek Carr
Oakland Raiders
14th Overall Prospect, 2nd Quarterback, 1st Round Grade
Despite rookies Blake Bortles and Teddy Bridgewater finally getting to see some action, the week belonged to Derek Carr. In all fairness to Bridgewater, he did a very good job coming in late in the game against the Saints, showing off his beautiful pocket movement and intelligence as a passer. However, Carr continued to show impressive poise and fantastic aggressiveness as a passer. He was not firing off errant passes, he was going after Darelle Revis and winning! He had some unfortunate miscues, but he did a good job playing at a competitive level despite horrible surrounding talent. He is consistently improving every week and the Raiders are looking better and better for taking him in the second round.
Sep 21, 2014; Foxborough, MA, USA; Oakland Raiders quarterback Derek Carr (4) throws against the New England Patriots during the first quarter at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Winslow Townson-USA TODAY Sports
Running Back
Bishop Sankey
Tennessee Titans
72nd Overall Prospect, 3rd Running Back, 2nd Round Grade
One of my favorite picks in the draft, Sankey finally saw a decent workload for the Titans this week. In only 10 carries, Sankey showed off his quick feet and vision and averaged over six yards per carry. Sankey is the most gifted back in the Titans backfield and should see a heavier workload over time.
Isaiah Crowell
Cleveland Browns
26th Overall Prospect, 1st Running Back, 1st Round Grade
Another week, anther fantastic performance from my top rated running back. He continued to show off his immense talent by running with strength, great vision and burst. He continues to sit behind Terrence West on the depth chart, but the Browns are going to have trouble keeping him off the field any longer.
Wide Receiver
Jordan Matthews
Philadelphia Eagles
20th Overall Prospect, 1st Wide Receiver, 1st Round Grade
Jordan Matthews had his break out performance for the Eagles this past weekend. He did a fantastic job of working underneath the entire game and catching all of the passes thrown his way. He had a wide open touchdown and one incredibly impressive touchdown catch in traffic at the back of the end zone. If this is any indicator, Matthews may have established himself as the number two receiver in the offense.
Sep 21, 2014; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver Jordan Matthews (81) catches an 11-yard touchdown against Washington Redskins inside linebacker Perry Riley (56) and strong safety Brandon Meriweather (31) late in the second quarter at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports
Donte Moncrief
Indianapolis Colts
64th Overall Prospect, 11th WR, 2nd round Grade
Moncrief is easily the most talented receiver on the Colts roster and he was finally able to show off his immense ability against the Jaguars. He showed off his fantastic size, speed and ability to create after the catch. He should see an increased role and can continue to grow in a young and talented receiving corps.
John Brown
Arizona Cardinals
182nd Overall Prospect, 25th Wide Receiver, Early 6th Round Grade
John Brown is speed exemplified and he is continuing to make money as the Cardinals deep threat. His speed was felt all over the field as he raced by corners and safeties for two touchdowns on Sunday. His ability to stretch the field for the Cardinals is fantastic and the fact that he is creating space for Michael Floyd, Larry Fitzgerald and the running game to thrive should earn him more snaps alone.
Tight End
Jace Amaro
New York Jets
62nd Overall Prospect, 5th Tight End, 2nd Round Grade
Amaro is getting more and more involved in the passing game as the season goes on and that is encouraging. He had his biggest display on Monday, hauling in three passes for over 50 yards. He had a bad drop in traffic, which was his weak point in college, but overall he showed good movement skills and soft hands in space. He functions as a huge slot receiver at his best, and needs to get more targets as the Jets passing game is lacking.
Offensive Tackle
Ju’Wuan James
Miami Dolphins
105th Overall Prospect, 14th Tackle, 3rd Round Grade
While James had a down week compared to his very good performances the previous two weeks, he was still able to get some push in the run game against a very stout Chiefs front. The speed the Chiefs have off the edges was a little much for him, but he continues to show off his great tools. Once he starts cutting down on the rookie moments, he could be a hell of a player.
Seantrel Henderson
Buffalo Bills 57th Overall Player, 9th Tackle, 2nd Round Grade
Henderson has always been talented. He had the type of potential you spend a first overall pick with, but he could never put it together upstairs. Luckily for the Bills, Henderson is looking more and more like the guy we all imagined h e would be when he started at Miami so many years ago. Henderson had some miscues in the run game, often missing an assignment or ending up on the ground. Against the pass however, he manhandled guys with his fantastic length and strong punch. No doubt his performance was not perfect, but his progress has been awesome.
Offensive Guard
Joel Bitonio
Cleveland Browns
12th Overall Player, 3rd Offensive Lineman, 1st Round Grade
Bitonio has been phenomenal so far and looks like a natural at guard. He is bullying people on the field, showing that nastiness in the running and passing game that made me like him so much during the draft process. I would love him to eventually get a shot at tackle, but he’s been a fantastic guard so far.
Jack Mewhort
Indianapolis Colts
71st Overall Player, 15th Offensive Lineman, 2nd Round Grade
Mewhort was graded as a tackle, but so far he has been a decent guard for the Colts. He always had strength issues, and that showed up in the run, but his quick feet and great technique showed up in pass protection. Overall, he did a fantastic job of keeping Andrew Luck clean as he torched the Jaguars. The Colts are set at tackle and it looks like they found a long term answer at guard.
Center
Luke Bowanko
Jacksonville Jaguars
Unranked
Not only did the Jaguars break in their rookie quarterback, they also started their rookie center! Center has been a major issue for the Jaguars the last two years and it looks encouraging so far from the rookie. He had an unspectacular day in pass protection, which is much better than what the Jaguars have gotten. Where he was most impressive was in the run game. He played a smart game and showed off good strength and angles. I thought it was a strange pick when it happened, but so far the Jaguars look all the wiser.
Interior Defensive Line
Ra’Shede Hageman
Atlanta Falcons
23rd Overall Prospect, 4th IDL, 1st Round Grade Hageman was one of the many Falcons who enjoyed a fantastic outing against a dismal looking Buccaneer team. Hageman’s natural power was on full display against the run as he was very disruptive and anchored well. He showed some burst in the passing game, but he still needs to work on his anticipation. Hageman has immense upside, so even the smallest improvements are encouraging.
Zach Kerr
Indianapolis Colts
97th Overall Prospect, 11th IDL, Early 3rd Round Grade
The Human Wrecking Ball. That is what Kerr was at Delaware and that is who he is starting to look like for the Colts. His awesome strength was evident against the Jaguars as he guys around and made plays in the run game. He wasn’t penetrating as a pass rusher, but did a good job handling his man and letting linebackers flow to the play. Kerr was one of my favorite small school players and it is awesome to see him play well in the NFL.
Edge Defender
Khalil Mack
Oakland Raiders
5th Overall Player, 2nd Linebacker, 1st Round Grade
Khalil Mack has arrived. He had a dominant game against the Patriots on Sunday. Dominant. He showed off strength, quickness and great awareness, absolutely destroying the Patriots’ running game. He is hit or miss rushing the passer, but his flashes are awesome. He already looks like a stud NFL player.
Sep 21, 2014; Foxborough, MA, USA; New England Patriots running back Brandon Bolden (38) gets up ended by Oakland Raiders line backer Khalil Mack (52) during the third quarter at Gillette Stadium. The New England Patriots won 16-9. Mandatory Credit: Greg M. Cooper-USA TODAY Sports
Dee Ford
Kansas City Chiefs
Ford 87th Overall Player, 8th Edge Defender, Early 3rd Round Grade
Ford did not get a lot of snaps against Miami, but was still able to make an impact in the time he did get. He was able to show off his superb anticipation and burst to create pressure off the edge and even get into the run a bit. He should see heavier snaps as the season wears on, at least on passing downs.
Linebacker
Anthony Barr
Minnesota Vikings
94th Overall Player, 10th Linebacker, Early 3rd Round Grade
So far, Mike Zimmer continues to work his magic with the gifted Barr. Zimmer did a great job of putting Barr in space and using his straight line speed to wreak havoc against the Saints. Perfect example is using him on an A-Gap blitz where Barr was too fast to get picked up and eventually got the sack. It is that type of utilization that maximizes Barr as a player. Barr looks disruptive and that is great news for the 8th overall pick.
Preston Brown
Buffalo Bills
Unranked
Preston Brown never was very fluid in coverage and it showed against San Diego. He is a smart player, but his instincts can only take him so far in space. However, he did a good job of coming down hill to impact the run. He is a great in the box player and a very strong tackler. I am not sure how much better he can be against the pass, but Buffalo looks to have a solid run defender in the middle of their defense.
CJ Mosley
Baltimore Ravens
3rd Overal Prospect, 1st Linebacker, 1st Round Grade
Mosley continues to play very well inside of that Baltimore defense. He has done a great job of diagnosing plays and attacking. He looks good defending the run and playing space against the pass. He did job this weekend of limiting yards after the catch. The game looks like it is slowing down for him, which would be fantastic for a guy I thought so highly of.
Sep 21, 2014; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Browns running back Terrance West (28) is taken down by Baltimore Ravens outside linebacker Courtney Upshaw (91) and Baltimore Ravens inside linebacker C.J. Mosley (57) during the second quarter at FirstEnergy Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports
Cornerback
Kyle Fuller
Chicago Bears
13th Overall Prospect, 2nd Corner, 1st Round Grade
For the second week in a row, Kyle Fuller was not only playing at a high level, but he was clutch as well. He continues to show a great knack for the ball as he had one interception in the endzone where he showed off his awesome closing speed and another near pick towards the end of the game that was also in the endzone. He was awesome against the 49ers and looked even better in New York. The Bears have a special player on their hands.
Sep 22, 2014; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; Chicago Bears cornerback Kyle Fuller (23) intercepts a pass intended for New York Jets wide receiver David Nelson (86) in the end zone during the third quarter at MetLife Stadium. Chicago Bears won 27-19. Mandatory Credit: Anthony Gruppuso-USA TODAY Sports
Bradley Roby
Denver Broncos
16th Overall Prospect, 3rd Corner, 1st Round Grade
Roby is getting targeted less and less. This should be an indicator of how high of a level he is playing at. He speed is his best asset in coverage and he does a great job making the hit right after the reception to limit yards after the catch. Roby was arguably the most gifted corner in the last draft and he is showing off why.
Safety
Calvin Pryor
183rd Overall Player, 20th Overall Safety, 6th Round Grade
Pryor was coming off a rough week where he was torched as a deep safety, but rebounded with a strong game against Chicago. He still struggled the deep he was in coverage and seemed to thrive in the box. He played well underneath, but looked very good attacking the run. The best thing to do with Pryor is let him play in the box, he looks phenomenal down there as opposed to being a liability deep. Should be interesting to see his role as the season goes on.
Ha Ha Clinton Dix
Green Bay Packers
9th Overall Player, 1st Safety, 1st Round Grade
Dix is continuing to look good in coverage, but needs to fix up his angles in the run game. He looks pretty good for the Packers so far, but the Lions game showed that NFL is still a bit fast for him. I am confident about him going forward and he is very talented, so seeing small progressions is good.
Rookie Of the Week: Khalil Mack
Mack is sky rocketing through the ranks of the NFL the last three weeks and is coming off one of the most dominant performances of the season. He already looks like a stud run defender after demolishing New England and once he can nail down some consistency as a pass rusher, he is going to be an absolute force.