There?s a special kind of draft when teams find gems late in the draft. I?ve been tracking rookies this year and compiled a list of rookies this year that had fantastic seasons and what I thought were taken at fantastic value in the draft, so that means they weren?t selected in the 1st round of the draft, and had great seasons vs the leaders of the league.
FB Leonard Weaver (2.7)
Seattle Seahawks
Weaver was selected at 2.7 in the front half of the round. Weaver is a special talent filling a few roles on the Seattle roster this year. Weaver really came into his own after slotting into the TE position showing he can both catch the ball and block. Weaver is leading FBs in receptions (30) and touchdowns this season ( 8 ) and leading his team with 54 pancakes.
MLB Barrett Rudd (2.15)
Chicago Bears
There was a lot of demand for MLB this season and with a lot of talent taken already Rudd fell to 2.15 when he was drafted by the Chicago Bears. Big shoes to fill after the Bears traded Brian Urlacher to the Titans earlier that offseason. Rudd is sitting currently at #2 in leading tackles in the SFL this season. Granted, the rookie offense is giving Rudd extra work, Rudd stands as a solid pick for the Bears.
QB Charlie Frye (2.30)
Baltimore Ravens
There was talk on how the Balitmore Ravens were eyeballing the future after selecting QB Charlie Frye in the late 2nd round at 2.30. Perhaps selected as a budding backup was pushed into leading their offense after QB Jeff Blake was injured in week 4. Despite being benched for 4 games, Frye is showing to be a solid pick among rookie QBs throwing for 2503 yards (more than Kyle Orton) and 17 touchdowns (more than Alex Smith).
DT Anttaj Hawthorne (3.5)
New York Jets
Not the fastest nor the smartest DT on the board, the New York Jets selected Anttaj at 3.5 in the draft. Hawthorne has been a solid pick collecting 12 tackles and 4 sacks on the year. Looking at the talent around him in the draft, the Jets found great value
DE Justin Tuck (3.22)
Philadelphia Eagles
Selected in the 3rd round at 3.22, LE Justin Tuck has been a huge difference for the Eagles on a number of games, his best game being 5 tackles and 2 sacks vs the Seahawks in week 13. Tuck has 30 tackles with 8 sacks for the season.
WR Marcus Maxwell (4.11)
New Orlean Saints
The saints are no strangers to finding great talent deep in the draft. This year their magic came at the 4th round of the draft when they selected with the 4.11 pick WR Marcus Maxwell. Perhaps seen as too slow and too dumb or not agile enough, the 6.3? size of Maxwell has helped him lead the team in receptions and yards, sitting opposite top talent like Joe Horn and Roy Williams. Maxwell leads his team with 35 receptions 607 yards and 4 touchdowns.
P Dustin Colquitt (7.22)
San Francisco 49ers
A little tooting my own horn, but also, I think it's hard to find leading talent in the 7th round of the draft. Selected with the 7.22 pick of the draft the 49es moved on from veteran punter Chris Gardocki with rookie Dustin Colquitt. Colquitt leads all punters this season In The 20 punts with 23 with 21 touchbacks, but also leading at 2nd with most punts, so the 49ers offense is giving him ample opportunity. Still, the 49ers are finding a solid replacement at punter.
What draft gems did I miss? Which rookies have helped you transform your team this year? To coin the phrase from Dhani?s Rookie of the Week Articles, GO ROOKIE...GO!!!
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