NFL Week 11 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 the guys have been better than expected, some worse and some are doing exactly what we thought. Here are the best rookies from week eleven of the NFL season.
Quarterback
Zach Mettenberger
Tennessee Titans
127th Overall Player, 9th Quarterback, 4th Round Grade
In a Monday night showdown, it was Mettenberger who put on a show of much of the day. He rebounded from an early pick six and ended up putting the Titans in a position to win for most of the night. He was strong standing in the pocket and aggressive attacking the middle of the field and firing downfield. His arm strength and pocket presence were put on display, but he also showed accuracy that was not really there at LSU. If this game is any indicator, the Titans may have their quarterback.
Nov 17, 2014; Nashville, TN, USA; Tennessee Titans quarterback Zach Mettenberger (7) throws a pass against the Pittsburgh Steelers at LP Field. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Running Back
Alfred Blue
Houston Texans
225th Overall Prospect, 19th Running Back, 6th Round Grade
On Sunday, the Texans wanted to run the ball and that is exactly what they did. Blue carried the rock 37 times on the day. He looked good moving downhill and creating yards for himself, picking up almost 60% of his yards after contact (Pro Football Focus). He did a great job of picking up tough yards all day and should see more carries now in support of Arian Foster.
Jeremy Hill
Cincinnati Bengals
213th Overall Prospect, 12th Running Back, 6th Round Grade
In a good week for former LSU players, Hill keyed the Bengals’ big win over the Saints. He was decisive getting down hill, ran strongly, picking up 97 yards after contact and showed great long speed to get long gains. His ability to consistently get downhill was a big reason the passing offense was able to succeed. Gio Bernard is a fantastic running back, but it is going to be hard to keep the ball out of Hill’s hands now.
Nov 16, 2014; New Orleans, LA, USA; Cincinnati Bengals running back Jeremy Hill (32) runs against the New Orleans Saints during the second half of a game at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. The Bengals defeated the Saints 27-10. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports
Wide Receiver
Jordan Matthews
Philadelphia Eagles
20th Overall Prospect, 1st Wide Receiver, 1st Round Grade
Despite what seems like the rest of the Eagles team not even showing up to play, Matthews turned in another fantastic game. He ran crisp routes underneath and made several catches in traffic. He had one frustrating drop on the day, but the rest of the day he displayed what makes the Eagles so high on him and why Mark Sanchez so high on him. He had a great play down in the red zone where he caught a screen pass and bullied the corner until Matthews got a touchdown. It is plays like that the Eagles expect him to do more in the future. The arrow is pointing directly upwards for Matthews.
Mike Evans
Tampa Buccaneers
30th Overall Prospect, 4th Wide Receiver, 1st Round Grade
Mike Evans has really turned it on as of late, producing several games in a row of over 100 yards receiving. He had a huge game against Washington where he posted over 200 yards and two touchdowns. Now, those touchdowns came off of busted coverages and a matchup he had on a linebacker, but he still did a great job getting open and making the play. Besides that, he still did a very good job using his size to secure the ball and his speed to pick up yards after the catch. This is exactly what the Bucs had in mind when they took Evans top ten and he is making them very happy.
Nov 16, 2014; Landover, MD, USA; Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Mike Evans (13) runs with the ball to score a touchdown as Washington Redskins inside linebacker Perry Riley (56) chases during the second half at FedEx Field. The Buccaneers won 27 – 7. Mandatory Credit: Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports
Tight End
Richard Rodgers
Green Bay Packers
131st Overall Prospect, 9th Tight End, 4th Round Grade
The rookie tight ends continue to underwhelm, but Rodgers makes this list by way of a good day blocking. Doing a good job kicking out the outside linebackers to create lanes for the Packers running game. He did not do much in the passing game, but no rookie tight end really has.
Offensive Tackle
Morgan Moses
Washington
35th Overall Prospect, 5th Tackle, 1st Round Grade
Despite not doing a great job run blocking, Moses was a wall in the passing game, much like he was like at Washington. His superb length and heavy hands made it hard for pass rushers to get any pressure at all the entire game. His balance is still iffy in the running game, but Washington has to be happy with how well he is pass blocking.
Taylor Lewan
Tennessee Titans
43rd Overall Prospect, 6th Tackle, 2nd Round Grade
Another big time game, Lewan looked very good against the Steelers. He allowed almost no pressure the entire night and was a monster in the running game. He has been moving incredibly well and is finding more and more consistency as weeks go on. His play has been great and the Titans must be thrilled.
Offensive Guard
Zach Fulton
Kansas City Chiefs
Unranked
A big part of the reason that Chiefs were able to pull off the upset against the Seahawks was their ability to run the ball with ease on the Seattle Defense. Fulton was a big part of that running game. He was strong at the point of attack and moved well down the field, showing good aggression. He did not look great in pass protection, but his strong day in the running game gets him a nod on this list.
Joel Bitonio
Cleveland Browns
12th Overall Player, 3rd Offensive Lineman, 1st Round Grade
Another big day from Bitonio who I have come to expect stellar play from at this point. He looked fantastic in the run game, using quick feet, strong hands and a great attitude to put defenders on their ass. His play was much the same in the passing game, showing off quick feet and good awareness. It is almost expect to see Bitonio on these lists at this point. Hopefully he gets a fair shot at winning offensive rookie of the year.
Center
Bryan Stork
New England Patriots
198th Overall Prospect, 15th Rated Interior Offensive Linemen, 6th Round Grade
Stork played a huge part in the demolition of the Colts defense on Sunday night. He did a great job grinding out in the running game and getting to the second level. Stork has been decent for much of the year, but this was truly a breakout performance for the rookie. Hopefully he can turn in more performances like this.
Interior Defensive Line
Dominique Easley
New England Patriots
4th Overall Prospect, 1st IDL, 1st round grade
Easley is still trying to get to full health as he recovers from an ACL surgery, but this game was an encouraging indication that he could be getting close to fully healthy. He looked very good sniffing out and disrupting the running game and was even able to burst into creating pressure in the passing game. Easley is going to be a very good player, and this game showed him getting closer to his healthy self.
Ryan Carrethers
San Diego Chargers
44th Overall Prospect, 6th IDL, 2nd Round Grade
In his first game getting a decent snap load, Carrethers made a big time impact on the field. He was an absolute beast against the run, using his monstrous strength and impressive quickness for his size to push offensive linemen around and creating plays for himself and his linebackers. Hopefully we see more of him on the field in the coming weeks.
Edge Defender
Khalil Mack
Oakland Raiders
5th Overall Prospect, 2nd Linebacker, 1st Round Grade
In what should be no surprise, Mack had another very good game on sunday. He showed of his signature, elite run defense the entire game, sniffing out plays and making stops. He was also a game changer rushing the pass again. Amazingly, he registered his first sack of the season this year, which is crazy considering how disruptive he has been this year. The numbers prevent media people from talking about him this way, but Mack has really been one of the best defenders in the NFL this year.
Nov 16, 2014; San Diego, CA, USA; San Diego Chargers running back Branden Oliver (43) smiles after the end of the play as Oakland Raiders outside linebacker Khalil Mack (52) gets up off of him during the second quarter at Qualcomm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports
Aaron Lynch
San Fransisco 49ers
75th Overall Player, 6th Edge defender, 2nd Round Grade
In what is becoming a regular occurrence, Aaron Lynch was fantastic again this week. He registered another sack and picked up a bunch more pressures throughout the game. He was a huge part of forcing the Eli Manning into making a ton of mistakes throughout the day. He has been an awesome pass rusher for San Francisco and they should be excited about where he is going.
Nov 16, 2014; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; San Francisco 49ers outside linebacker Aaron Lynch (59) celebrates after a sack on York Giants quarterback Eli Manning (10)at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Robert Deutsch-USA TODAY Sports
Linebacker
Chris Borland
San Fransisco 49ers
76th Overall Player, 7th Linebacker, 2nd Round Grade
Another huge game for Borland, he is quickly establishing himself as one of the best linebackers in the league. He was incredible against the run the entire game, but also looked awesome in coverage. He closed on the ball very quickly after reading the quarterback’s eyes and came up with his first career interception. Later in the game, he picked off another pass off a deflection, showing his keen instincts. He was outstanding all day and he is going to push himself into the defensive rookie of the year race.
Sep 25, 2014; New York, NY, USA; San Francisco 49ers inside linebacker Chris Borland (50) intercepts a pass intended for New York Giants wide receiver Odell Beckham (13) during the first half at Metlife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: John Munson/NJ Advance Media for NJ.com via USA TODAY Sports
Preston Brown
Buffalo Bills
Unranked
Not quite up to how he has played this season, but Brown turned in another strong game for himself. He looked decent in coverage, but looked at his best coming up and stopping the run. He has been a strong presence on that Buffalo front and is going to be a big part of their success for a long time.
Devon Kennard
New York Giants
214th Overall Prospect, 24th Edge Player, 6th Round Grade
Between his college and NFL career, Kennard has moved around quite a bit along the defensive front, but looks to finally have found his home at linebacker. He looked very good on Sunday stopping the run, showing plus instincts and aggressive coming up against the line of scrimmage. He looks good in coverage too, limiting yards after the catch. Kennard certainly looks like a steal for the Giants.
Cornerback
Dontae Johnson
San Fransisco 49ers
130th Overall Prospect, 12th Safety, 4th Round Grade
A big day from the safety convert, Johnson looked good in coverage all day, including a crucial tipped pass near the end zone that turned into an interception that all but sealed the game. Not only did he look good in coverage, he looked good coming up and stopping the run as well. Johnson made a big time impact and the 49ers hope to see more from him going forward.
TJ Carrie
Oakland Raiders
Unranked
Another big surprise this season, Carrie was a big part of the Oakland defense keeping the team in the game the whole day on Sunday. He looked good in coverage and closed on the ball very well. He did give up a touchdown, but he had a very good outing regardless. Carrie was a late round gem for the Raiders and he will be in the line up for a while.
Safety
Deone Bucannon
Arizona Cardinals
96th Overall Player, 8th Safety, 3rd Round Grade
Another solid day. Bucannon looks more and more comfortable in coverage and is still making his splash plays as a tackler. The game is slowing down for him near the line of scrimmage and he looks better and better each week. I still think he is best suited at free safety, but his development as a strong safety has been interesting.
Nov 16, 2014; Glendale, AZ, USA; Arizona Cardinals strong safety Deone Bucannon (36) watches Detroit Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford (9) at the line of scrimmage during the first half at University of Phoenix Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports
Ha Ha Clinton Dix
Green Bay Packers
9th Overall Player, 1st Safety, 1st Round Grade
With only two safeties playing enough to earn spots, Dix makes the list by default. However, despite a rough day in coverage, often looking out of position, Dix did a good job limiting the Eagles running game. Dix has had a solid season this year, hopefully he can continue to improve.
Rookie Of the Week: Khalil Mack
It was not his most dominant performance of the year, but Mack still made a huge impact in the running and passing game. He finally got his first sack too, which is exciting. Hopefully he can fill the box scores a bit more so he gets more national recognition for how good he has been.