Its got to be a good feeling for the Browns to see Baker Mayfield atop this list. He is responsible for not only turning things around on the field, but turning around the attitude of the team. He went 6-7 as a starter and set the single season rookie passing TD record with 27. Next behind him is the next QB that was picked in the draft, Sam Darnold. Jets fans should be optimistic with what they saw out of Darnold in his rookie year, especially as he moves forward with new head coach Adam Gase. We round out the QBs with Lamar Jackson. Jackson still has a ways to go as a passer, but you can’t argue with his athletic ability and ability to win games, after going 6-1 as a starter and leading the Ravens to the playoffs; the only rookie QB to do so.
Running Backs
RBs
Saquon Barkley
Phillip Lindsay
Nick Chubb
NYG
DEN
CLE
1st Round
UDFA
2nd Round
Sony Michel
NE
1st Round
Saquon Barkley proved to everyone, myself included, why he deserved to be picked second overall. He finished first in the league in yards from scrimmage with 2,028. He led all rookie running backs in both rushing yards, 1,307, and receiving yards, 721. All with a failing o-line and Eli Manning at quarterback. If it wasn’t for the season Barkley had, our next RB would be the talk of the bunch. Phillip Lindsay racked up 1,037 yards splitting time with fellow rookie Royce Freeman. He became only the 3rd UDFA since the merger to rush for 1,000 yards as a rookie. Both Lindsay and Barkley earned Pro Bowl nominations.
Wide Receivers
WRs
Calvin Ridley
DJ Moore
Courtland Sutton
ATL
CAR
DEN
1st Round
1st Round
2nd Round
Robert Foster
Christian Kirk
Antonio Callaway
BUF
ARI
CLE
UDFA
2nd Round
4th Round
Our 1a and 1b of the wide receivers are the Faclons Calvin Ridley and the Panthers DJ Moore. Ridley led all rookies with 821 receiving yards and 10 receiving tough downs. He had a little help playing opposite Julio Jones. Moore on the other hand became the primary target for Cam Newton and the Panthers. Both look to have strong careers ahead of them. The Broncos Courtland Sutton’s role expanded with the Broncos after the trade of Demaryious Thomas. He finished 3rd among rookie with 704 receiving yards. Next is our only other UDFA of the offense, Robert Foster. Foster had a limited showcase at Alabama, finishing his senior year with only 14 receptions for 174 yards and a TD, but was invited to the combine where he ran a 4.41 40. He signed with the Bills as an UDFA and spent the first 6 games on the active roster as a backup; then sent down to the practice squad, only to be brought back up right before their week 10 matchup with the Jets. He finished that game with 3 catches for 105 yards and finished the season with the best yards/reception for qualified rookies at 20.04.
Tight Ends
TEs
Chris Herndon
Mark Andrews
Dallas Goedert
NYJ
BAL
PHI
4th Round
3rd Round
2nd Round
One of the more underrated rookies from this season is the Jets Chris Herndon. Herndon started the season 4th on the Jets depth chart but quickly became one of Sam Darnold’s favorite targets. He finished first among rookie tight ends in receptions and touchdowns. The Ravens Mark Andrews was the second tight end taken by the team in the draft, but shined as the top receiving threat, leading all rookie tight ends with 552 receiving yards. We round out the tight ends with the Eagles Dallas Goedert. He spent the season backing up one of the top TEs in the league in Zach Ertz. He still made a big impact for the Eagles, catching 4 TDs and an impressive 75% catch rate.
Offensive Line
OL
T Mike McGlinchey
T Braden Smith
G Quenton Nelson
SF
IND
IND
1st Round
2nd Round
1st Round
G Will Hernandez
C Mason Cole
T Orlando Brown
NYG
ARI
BAL
2nd Round
3rd Round
3rd Round
G Frank Ragnow
G James Daniels
C Billy Price
DET
CHI
CIN
1st Round
2nd Round
1st Round
On to my favorite part, the offensive line. We start with the top tackle of the bunch, the 49ers Mike McGLinchey. The 49ers were able to plug him in right away at right tackle, where he started all 16 games. He still has plenty to improve on, but he has the makings of a perennial pro bowler. Our other top tackle was actually a guard in college, the Colts Braden Smith. Smith started 13 games at right tackle for a team that only gave up 18 sacks all season (7 of those sacks came in the 3 games Smith didn’t start). Next we move down to guard and to the top lineman of the bunch, the Colts Quenton Nelson. Nelson was the dominant force on one of the best offensive line in the league. He earned Pro Bowl and All-Pro honors and you could argue should finish 3rd in the Offensive Rookie of the year behind Mayfield and Barkley. At our other guard, we have the Giants Will Hernandez. He was a run blocking force, starting all 16 games for the G-Men. We round out the starting o-line with the Cardinals Mason Cole. Cole was thrown into the starting position after AQ Shipley tore his ACL in training camp. He went on to start all 16 games, the only rookie center to do so. The Ravens Orlando Brown became the starting right tackle for the Ravens and really grew as the season went along. We have 2 college centers who made the transition to guard, James Daniels and Frank Ragnow. Both of which look to be solid starters for their teams going forwarding.
The Defense
Defensive Line
DL
Da'Ron Payne
BJ Hill
Maurice Hurst
WAS
NYG
OAK
1st Round
3rd Round
5th Round
Poona Ford
Bilal Nichols
Da'Shawn Hand
SEA
CHI
DET
UDFA
5th Round
4th Round
One of the bright spots of a sad, dark Redskins season was the play of their first round pick Da’Ron Payne. Payne started all 16 games for the Redskins and was a dominating presence on the front of their young defensive line. Next we have the Giants 3rd round pick, BJ Hill. Hill came from the highly touted NC State defensive line that had 4 lineman taken in the first 4 rounds. He finished 4th among rookies with 5.5 sacks on the season, starting in 12 games for New York. Health risks caused Maurice Hurst to fall down the draft board and landed in the lap of Jon Gruden and the Raiders in the 5th round. He went on to start 10 games for Oakland and looks to be a key piece of their front 4 going forward. Our only UDFA of the defense, Poona Ford surprised a lot of people on the defensive line for the Seahawks. While he only started one game, Ford had an impact on defense and was the 12th ranked interior defensive lineman by Pro Football Focus.
Edge
EDGE
Bradley Chubb
Marcus Davenport
Sam Hubbard
DEN
NO
CIN
1st Round
1st Round
3rd Round
Harold Landry
Uchenna Nwosu
TEN
LAC
2nd Round
2nd Round
It’s no surprise that our top edge rusher was the top edge rusher in the draft. Bradley Chubb led all rookies with 12 sacks, starting in 16 games for the Broncos. A lot of people though the Saints reached trading up to get Marcus Davenport. While he didn’t start any games, he compiled 4.5 sacks and 12 QB hits over 13 games. He has the potential to be a perennial double digit sack guy for the Saints. Sam Hubbard finished 3rd among rookies with 6 sacks coming off the bench for the Bengals. He also came in on goal line sets as a lead blocker.
Linebackers
LBs
Darius Leonard
Leighton Vander Esch
Roquan Smith
IND
DAL
CHI
2nd Round
1st Round
1st Round
Fred Warner
Tremaine Edmunds
SF
BUF
3rd Round
1st Round
Colts 2nd round pick Darius Leonard was a play making machine. He finished the season 1st in the league in tackles (163), tied for 4th in tackles for loss (12), and finished 2nd among rookies in sacks (7). The Colts defense improved from 30th to 11th in the league this season, and Leonard was named Defensive Rookie of the Year. The Cowboys Leighton Vander Esch finished 2nd in the league (to Darius Leonard) in solo tackles with 102, starting in 11 games.
Cornerbacks
CBs
Denzel Ward
Jaire Alexander
Donte Jackson
CLE
GB
CAR
1st Round
1st Round
2nd Round
Tre Flowers
Tremon Smith
SEA
KC
5th Round
6th Round
Some, myself included, were surprised to see the Browns take Denzel Ward with their 2nd top 5 pick. He went on to show flashes of true shutdown corner ability. He finished tied for 2nd among rookies with 3 interceptions on the season. The Packers Jaire Alexander stepped in and proved to be a solid contributor. He compiled 11 pass deflections in 11 games for Green Bay. The Panthers Donte Jackson finished the season top among rookies with 4 interceptions, starting in all 16 games. The Chiefs Tremon Smith was 3rd in the league in kick return yards with 886. That included a 97 yard return against the Patriots.
Safeties
Ss
Derwin James
Jessie Bates
Justin Reid
LAC
CIN
HOU
1st Round
2nd Round
3rd Round
Terrell Edmunds
PIT
1st Round
The Chargers Derwin James made the Pro Bowl and 1st team All-Pro as a rookie. He finished the year with 105 tackles, 3.5 sacks, 3 interceptions, and 13 passes defended starting in all 16 games. Also starting all 16 games was Bengals 2nd round pick Jessie Bates. Bates finished the year with 111 tackles, 7 passes defended, and 3 interceptions.
Specialists and Head Coach
ST
K Jason Sanders
P Michael Dickson
LS Hunter Bradley
MIA
SEA
GB
7th Round
5th Round
7th Round
Head Coach
Matt Nagy
CHI
Our starting kicker of this all-rookie roster is the Dolphins Jason Sanders. He wen 18 of 20 on field goals and 35 of 36 on extra points. Our punter made 1st team All Pro and the Pro Bowl after being taken in the 5th round by the Seahawks, Michael Dickson. He finished 3rd in the league in yard per punt with 48.19. And lastly we can’t forget the long snapper. Hunter Bradley was taken in the 7th round by the Packers and played in all 16 games.
The leader of this all-rookie roster is of course the one who won Coach of the Year in his first season, Matt Nagy. Nagy led the Bears to a 12-4 record and an NFC North title.
