ESPN top 10 rookies..Brick and Mangold make the list

[AFJF]

Updated: Dec. 8, 2006

Talented rookies reshaping Saints' offenseScouts Inc.

Several rookies have burst onto the NFL scene in 2005. Some, such as Reggie Bush and Mario Williams, were expected to produce right away. Others, such as Marques Colston, have been a surprise. Here are the best rookies of 2005, according to Scouts Inc.

1. Marques Colston, New Orleans Saints

He leads all rookie wide receivers in receptions despite missing the past two games with an ankle injury. Colston is a big receiver with average to above average speed. His best asset is his size. For a young receiver, he is also a very good route runner and has an excellent feel for the game. He is as polished as any small-school receiver (Hofstra) we have seen in some time and has future No. 1 receiver written all over him.

2. DeMeco Ryans, Houston Texans

Not only does he lead all rookies in total tackles, he is second in the entire NFL only to Miami's Zach Thomas. Ryans has solid speed and range, and he has proved to be a guy who can make plays all over the field. He is smart and instinctive and has shown excellent leadership qualities. It is rare when you can call a rookie the heart and soul of a defense, but that is what Ryans has already become.

3. Reggie Bush, New Orleans Saints

He is second in the NFL in receptions, trailing only Houston WR Andre Johnson. Bush is the most versatile player in the NFL and creates numerous mismatch issues for opposing defensive coordinators. He is making a late push to challenge teammate Colston for Offensive Rookie of the Year honors.

4. Joseph Addai, Indianapolis Colts

He has made the Colts' franchise and fans forget about departed veteran RB Edgerrin James. With 845 yards through 12 games, Addai leads all rookies in rushing yards. He got off to a slow start as he adapted to the Colts' offensive system, but he looks poised to be the guy who can help get this Colts team over the top and find that elusive Super Bowl title.

5. Vince Young, Tennessee Titans

Despite not having the best passing numbers of the rookie QBs, Young has been the most impressive. We knew Young was going to be a great athlete and could be effective as a runner or a passer. What has been most impressive to us, however, is his ability to manage a game. That can take a lot of time for a young QB to pick up, and Young has picked it up quickly. Of all the rookie QBs currently playing, none has demonstrated the leadership skills that Young has.

6. D'Brickashaw Ferguson, New York Jets

He has been a starter since Day One, anchoring the all-important left side of the Jets' offensive line. He is a very good athlete who has proved in a short period of time that he can handle some of the top speed rushers in the NFL. This offseason he will spend a lot of time in the weight room, adding bulk and strength to his frame. Once he does that, look out, because he will eventually become one of the elite offensive tackles in the NFL.

7. Kamerion Wimbley Cleveland Browns

He is one of the few defensive rookies making a huge impact. He leads all rookie pass-rushers with 7½ sacks through 12 games. We knew Wimbley was a very good athlete and could rush the passer, but we are even more impressed with how fast he has adapted to playing a stand-up OLB position after playing with his hand on the ground in college. Wimbley has developed into a very good run defender, and his pass coverage ability and overall instincts are getting better all the time.

8. Marcus McNeill, San Diego Chargers

He does not get a lot of recognition, but he has been a solid starter on the left side of the Chargers' line. Despite breaking bones in his hand on two separate occasions, he has not missed a start. The Chargers were supposed to have serious concerns about the left tackle position coming into the season, but McNeill has quelled those fears. Most veteran offensive linemen will tell you that when the media is not talking about you, you must be doing your job. McNeill has been the epitome of that theory.

9. Nick Mangold, N.Y. Jets

He is the second piece of the Jets' rebuilding offensive line. Though we have him rated slightly lower than Ferguson, Mangold's job has actually been tougher. As the center, he has to coordinate the entire line up front. This is something veteran players strive to do well on a weekly basis, and it has come naturally for Mangold. He is a very good player and excellent leader. He is going to be one of those guys we see making the annual trek to the Pro Bowl in the not-so-distant future.

10. Devin Hester, Chicago Bears

Despite playing only sparingly as a defensive player, Hester makes this list for his punt-return abilities. For all the talk about the excellent rookie playmakers throughout the NFL, none may be as explosive as Hester. He looks extremely natural as a punt-return man. He is quick and elusive, and when he finds that seam, he has the big-time speed to seal the deal in the open field.

[fatman]

Both Ferguson and Mangold have played extremely well. Mangold has been a nice surprise playing better than anyone thought he would, do to his leadership the oline has been better than anyone expected and are gelling very well.

[Blackout]

no Moroney?

[RSJ]

no chad jackson?

[GM]

no chad jackson?

10 rec for 131 yds....

edit: oops..I did not see the sarcasm smiley...

[RSJ]

10 rec for 131 yds....

edit: oops..I did not see the sarcasm smiley...

my bad, I forgot.

[jetfan4hire]

2 of the top 10 rookies. Yeah id say we did pretty well

[shutout]

D'brick over Mcneill....where's PeterNorth to complain about that?

[ECURB]

the saint got the best WR AND the best RB in the draft accoring to this... that is impressive...

[EM31]

We really could not have asked for any more than this, 12 games into the season. Even Trey Teague going down ended up being beneficial.

Good stuff.

[Nick Ferraro]

How does Bush make the list? He's a glorified 3rd-down back. He's averaging 30 yards rushing per game as the #2 pick in the draft. If not for the Niners, he'd have 2 TDs for the year.

[JetCane]

Guys like Bush and Hester can rely on their natural talent to produce and impress.

In the cases of Mangold and Brick, I give lots of props to their position coach.

5. Vince Young, Tennessee Titans

Despite not having the best passing numbers of the rookie QBs, Young has been the most impressive. We knew Young was going to be a great athlete and could be effective as a runner or a passer. What has been most impressive to us, however, is his ability to manage a game. That can take a lot of time for a young QB to pick up, and Young has picked it up quickly. Of all the rookie QBs currently playing, none has demonstrated the leadership skills that Young has.

The greatest stroke of luck for VY has been getting coached up by Norm Chow. This will help him immensely throughout his career.

[TaborJet]

Show of hands, who thinks Mangold should be ranked higher than D'Brick?

Mangold made us forget about Mawae from the first offensive snap of the season.

If it weren't for Bren's avatars, I would have forgotten about Mawae completely!

[PFSIKH]

How does Bush make the list? He's a glorified 3rd-down back. He's averaging 30 yards rushing per game as the #2 pick in the draft. If not for the Niners, he'd have 2 TDs for the year.

Exactly.

Overrated. Maroney or Drew from Jax should be on that list before Bush. I mean a RB is supposed to run the ball right?

[JetCane]

Maroney should be on the list. He's had an impressive season.

[NJ]

That's all crap... we still should have traded up and got Young.

[Sperm Edwards]

It's absurd. This guy is infatuated with draft position.

• Mangold has been more impressive than Ferguson.
  
• McNeill has been more impressive than both. You don't go from a pro-bowl QB to a first-time starter & your primary WR is old & banged up & then the RB has the best season in NFL history by magic. Going into his 13th NFL game, McNeill is already a lock top-10 LT and possibly top-5 already. Barring injury he'll become a Willie Roaf type - a sure HOF'er.
  
• Reggie Bush wouldn't sniff at this list if he wasn't drafted #2 and there wasn't all the hype surrounding him from college. He's not even starting. Addai had a 4-TD game also, so given their other performances, how can Bush be ranked ahead of him?
  
• Addai is having a good season; probably deserves to be on the list, but don't discount that he's been unable to take the starting job away from Dominic Rhodes who barely touched the ball when Edge was healthy.
  
• Young is hard to gauge. On the one hand, I don't think they're winning games BECAUSE of him. In the Phi win, he was 8-of-22. In the Giants win, but for the most improbable occurrence of Kiwanuka simply letting him go he had another bad game & Ten would've lost easily. In their win vs Houston he had 87 passing yards while (again) completing less than half his attempts. On the flip side, they ARE winning games, he DID make a great comeback once the Giants gave him a sliver of a chance, and it's not like he's throwing to Fitzgerald & Boldin down there.

Snubs:

• Maurice Jones-Drew is having a MUCH better season overall than Bush, and it's not even close; but Drew didn't get taken until almost 2 full rounds later, so he gets snubbed. 5.3ypc, 10ypr and 9 TD's and he's not on this list? What a joke.
  
• Jerious Norwood: if getting almost 7 ypc was so easy, clearly someone else would be doing it. 518 yards on only 77 carries is insane. Translated over a moderate 320-carry season that adds up to 2,153 rushing yards. 350 carries at that rate would be 2,355 rushing yards. Unlikely that he'd be able to sustain that over that many carries, but just gives you a perspective of how over-the-top that is.
  
• Jahri Evans. A 4th-round tackle converted to guard, has started every game & done a fine job. Guards never make lists like this b/c it's such an un-sexy position.
  
• Haloti Ngata. Can anyone run up the middle on Baltimore? No. One player has made a difference in opponents averaging over a full half-yard less per carry. Will be a household name among DT's as soon as people can pronounce his last name correctly. And he was replacing Keomeatu who was awarded with a $20M contract in the offseason as a UFA. People who are obsessed with stats will only point to his 22 tackles, not considering what he does for the defense by taking up two OLmen in a 4-man front. Baltimore would make this same pick 10 times out of 10.
  
• Lawrence Maroney: probably a notch below stats-wise with a mediocre 4.0ypc, but you can bet your ass if he was a liability in protecting NE's golden-boy he wouldn't see the field. Good runner, good receiver, and is averaging a gaudy 29 yards on kick returns. I'd say he's been more impressive than Hester though who did make this list as a kick-returner.
  
• Mark Anderson's got a bunch of sacks (8.0) but isn't starting. Clearly is getting into the backfield though. But since he was taken in the mid-5th round, only offensive stats would get the attention of most people. If you're going to put a situational player like Hester up there, I'd say Anderson's having at least as good of a season. Sure Hester has those 3 TD's (and without him Chicago definitely loses the Arizona game), but he's also fumbled 4 returns in 12 games.

[PatsFanTX]

How does Bush make the list?

Come on Nick, you are smarter than that.

Reggie Bush is 2nd in the entire NFL with 73 receptions.

I don't give a rat's ass if he is a RB or a WR.

The Saints have used Bush to capitalize on all his skills.

73 receptions is damn impressive for a rookie.

[124]

Bush has a **** load of receptions and he made good on his past game. That being said, I still think Maroney has been the best rookie running back thus far. Both Bush & Addai had a big game with 4 TD's, take those games away, how good are they really?

[faba]

Offensive line is one of the most difficult positions to throw a rookie in and have some success- props to both of these guys and the staff that has coached and picked them so far.

[Sperm Edwards]

Bush has a **** load of receptions and he made good on his past game. That being said, I still think Maroney has been the best rookie running back thus far. Both Bush & Addai had a big game with 4 TD's, take those games away, how good are they really?

The dropoff is more significant for Bush. Without that game, Addai is still averaging 4.6ypc.

You also don't simply remove the type of special game that makes a player special in the first place unless you also remove his worst game as well. Take away Addai's worst game in terms of ypc (@NE) and he's still averaging 4.9ypc over the other 10 games. I'd say that's pretty good. Though to be totally fair in those same 10 games he has 2 TD's & is fresher b/c he's splitting carries.

Bush's production (on handoffs at least) plummets dramatically without that game. He was around 3.0ypc which is just about the worst in the NFL. Worse still when you consider he doesn't get the ball on short-yardage/goal-line plays. McAllister is averaging 4.4ypc for the same team and DOES get the short-yardage/goal-line carries that kill a RB's ypc.

Other than that one game though, Bush's production on offense compared unfavorably to a Michael Pittman-type (or even a young Kevin Faulk). Hardly the stuff you give a player >$50M for.

[NJ]

The guy said all that needed to be said when he stated Mangold was just sharpening up for what will be an annual trip to Hawaii -because that is the deal.

[JetCane]

The guy said all that needed to be said when he stated Mangold was just sharpening up for what will be an annual trip to Hawaii -because that is the deal.

At least one of the guys we drafted from osu* has made an impact

(cue Gibbons)

[Blackout]

How does Bush make the list? He's a glorified 3rd-down back. He's averaging 30 yards rushing per game as the #2 pick in the draft. If not for the Niners, he'd have 2 TDs for the year.

well he does get alot of receptions and is the teams #2 back

[Blackout]

Other than that one game though, Bush's production on offense compared unfavorably to a Michael Pittman-type (or even a young Kevin Faulk). Hardly the stuff you give a player >$50M for.

when reggie bush's career is done we'll be comparing him to MARSHALL faulk, not kevin

[Sperm Edwards]

when reggie bush's career is done we'll be comparing him to MARSHALL faulk, not kevin

The thread is about the top 10 rookies in 2006. And it's not hard to find 10 rookies having better seasons.

He's got all the talent to be a special player for a long time. Career-wise, no one knows what he'll be. He could be like Warrick Dunn. He could be like Tiki Barber. He could be better. He could also end up as memorable as Andre Wadsworth or Peter Warrick.

[PatsFanTX]

The thread is about the top 10 rookies in 2006. And it's not hard to find 10 rookies having better seasons.

He's got all the talent to be a special player for a long time. Career-wise, no one knows what he'll be. He could be like Warrick Dunn. He could be like Tiki Barber. He could be better. He could also end up as memorable as Andre Wadsworth or Peter Warrick.

So Spermy, are you saying that Bush's 73 receptions (as a friggn' rookie) are insignificant?

[Blackout]

The thread is about the top 10 rookies in 2006. And it's not hard to find 10 rookies having better seasons.

He's got all the talent to be a special player for a long time. Career-wise, no one knows what he'll be. He could be like Warrick Dunn. He could be like Tiki Barber. He could be better. He could also end up as memorable as Andre Wadsworth or Peter Warrick.

reggie bush is only 21 years old, he's got plenty of time to evolve into the beast he'll soon be

for example, addai is 23, leon washington is 24 etc.

[Sperm Edwards]

So Spermy, are you saying that Bush's 73 receptions (as a friggn' rookie) are insignificant?

Did I say that?

Is 3.1ypc (despite someone else getting the short-yardage carries) insignificant?

[zTouchdown Cotchery]

i think leon washington or brad msith would be in the top 40

[Blackout]

Did I say that?

Is 3.1ypc (despite someone else getting the short-yardage carries) insignificant?

its not like he doesn't make up for it by getting tons of receptions and returning punts?

[PatsFanTX]

Is 3.1ypc (despite someone else getting the short-yardage carries) insignificant?

Peyton and the Saints have done a great job maximizing Bush's skills as a rookie.

He's 2nd in the NFL in receptions, a great punt returner and also a RB.

You just want to focus on one aspect (RB's YPC) in evaluating Bush's performance as a rookie?

[raffyD]

I realize he's a little banged up right now but if I had to pick I would say Maroney because he looks the most like an nfl back that can do some damage long term.

I also like Jones-Drew a lot.

[raffyD]

Peyton and the Saints have done a great job maximizing Bush's skills as a rookie.

He's 2nd in the NFL in receptions, a great punt returner and also a RB.

You just want to focus on one aspect (RB's YPC) in evaluating Bush's performance as a rookie?

He's going to get those numbers with the way they're throwing down there and Brees is having an off-the-charts season. A rb for the nfl game? Give me Maroney.

[Nick Ferraro]

Come on Nick, you are smarter than that.

Reggie Bush is 2nd in the entire NFL with 73 receptions.

I don't give a rat's ass if he is a RB or a WR.

The Saints have used Bush to capitalize on all his skills.

73 receptions is damn impressive for a rookie.

He's been wonderful at catching six yard passes on 3rd and 10. His average per reception is 7.7. Despite the gaudy catch total, he is not in the top 20 in all-pupose yards. Maroney is 5th on that list; Jones-Drew is 12th.

The 2nd overall pick has to do better than 46th in the league in rushing yards.