Top 10 non-first round NFL rookies for 2015
Tuesday 19 April 2016 10:32, UK
Our hit and miss list of the 2015 NFL Draft created plenty of debate, with some feeling we were a little unfair not to put Marcus Peters (8 INT) on the list, as well as not giving Nelson Aghlohor his 'due' as the NFL's biggest first-round miss. It's about looking forward not back, so the View From America has his Top 10 non-first round rookies for 2015...
1) Tyler Lockett (3rd round, Seattle)
There wasn't a bigger playmaker for the Seahawks last season, as Lockett emerged not only as one of the nastiest receiving threats in the country (664 yards, 6 TDs), but also logging over 1,000 yards and 2 TDs in combined punt and kick returns. He was named an All-Pro in his first season. Mind you, those who know anything about college football would have raised their eyebrows that he wasn't taken earlier than the third round, too.
2) Thomas Rawls (undrafted, Seattle)
Two of Pete Carroll's biggest successes from the 2015 Draft were Lockett and Rawls. Rawls - who had 830 yards, 4 TDs and led the league with 5.6 yards per rushing attempt - was sensational in picking up where Marshawn Lynch left. There's a new beast in town, people.
3) Stefon Diggs (5th round, Minnesota)
720 yards, 4 TDs, - including a red-hot start to the year, where he had 95+ yards in four straight games. After corners and safeties began to stop him, the production waned, but he was still a remarkable threat. He was taken in the 5th round pick, but produced more than a lot of first rounders.
4) Ronald Darby (2nd round, Buffalo)
Darby - who was a star at Florida State - had a heck of a year at cornerback for the Bills, with 21 passes defended (5th best in the NFL) and made 68 tackles. He had 2 interceptions (2nd on the team), too. The worrying thing for opposition quarterbacks is that he'll only get better. Darby Island, anybody?
5) La'el Collins (undrafted, Dallas)
Listen, we know why he wasn't drafted [there was a shooting in New Orleans for which he was not a suspect but he was questioned by police on the eve of the draft], and when Jerry Jones finally took him on, Collins - who was expected to be a first rounder - started 11 games for Dallas at offensive tackle, and looks an easy part of the best offensive line in the NFL.
6) Devin Funchess (2nd round, Carolina)
A lot of people used the words "overweight" to describe the receiver, and looked at the NFL Combine as a reason why the former Michigan man was not a first rounder. But Carolina knew that he had first round hands, and 473 yards - the fifth best for a rookie in the history of the Panthers - and 5 TDs later, he became one of Cam Newton's prime receivers en route to a Super Bowl.
7) Ha'ouli Kikaha (2nd round, New Orleans)
We nearly put in Malcolm Brown, the Patriots' nose tackle out of Alabama, but looking at it, Kikaha was pretty immense - especially considering the terrible defence he had to play with week in, week out. The defensive end's numbers - 52 tackles, 4 sacks and 4 forced fumbles - were great. His forced fumbles number ranked amongst the best in the league.
8) Landon Collins (2nd round, New York Giants)
The first pick of the 2nd round was blistering in his hard-hitting tackling….exactly what he was like at Alabama. Collins had 80 tackles and started all 16 games for the New York Giants who - on reflection - weren't that far away from making a play-off game. Mind you, that's how bad the NFC East was!
9) T.J. Yeldon (2nd round, Jacksonville Jaguars)
We remember how good Yeldon was at Alabama, and we were hoping for the same in Jacksonville, where he was drafted. He was quick, elusive and scary fast playing against some of the best defences in the country in the SEC, but the NFL guys obviously didn't think he was as good as a Todd Gurley and, er, Melvin Gordon. Yeldon immediately became the Jags' starting running back, and put up 742 yards with 2 TDs. With a better offensive line, we think he could have run for 1,000.
10) Jamison Crowder (4th round, Washington) - 600 yards, 2 TDs
Anyone who plays for Duke's football team isn't exactly going to be the biggest name on the draft, so it was hardly surprising that Crowder was picked in the latter rounds. But to say he proved himself was an understatement, as he grabbed 600 yards receiving and 2 TDs on 59 receptions. Certain teams in the NFC East would have loved a rookie with those stats.
Purposely left out: Kwon Alexander (2nd round, Tampa Bay Buccaneers)
Let's not get it wrong: Alexander's 93 tackles, three sacks and two interceptions were exceptionally impressive. He was on track for over 100 tackles and maybe more sacks and interceptions, until he was handed a four-game suspension for using performance enhancing drugs. Alexander was suspended for the last three games of the season and will be out for the 2017 season opener. And you might say that his actions cost the team a wild card place, too (The Bucs finished 0-3 in his absence). Anyway, let's hope he learns, because he's one talented kid.
