| These rookies will make an instant impact
It's time to welcome a few well-intentioned rookies to the NFL, where the first learning curve arrives while you're backing out of the driveway.
Thanks to a party favor known as the salary cap, rookie production is required more quickly than seems reasonable. The attendant fiscal juggling often encourages teams — even the good ones — to jettison above-average (and relatively pricey) veterans and replace them during a marathon known as the NFL Draft.
Now that we're all off the clock, you're quite aware of who had the top selections and which players were chosen to play inside these pressure-cookers. But who will emerge as early contributors? Well, the early picks were the early picks for a reason.
However, a few prospects who somehow avoided first-round attention have opportunities to prematurely shine. In an effort to supply you with a game-plan on which rookies to pay the greatest attention to, we're here to look at the expected and possibly unexpected. Please note that this is not intended as a fantasy-draft primer.
THE ANTICIPATED
# JaMarcus Russell (LSU), quarterback, Oakland Raiders: Based on the swift, precedent-setting ascension of last year's first-round passers, the No. 1 overall pick for 2007 may not have to wait long for his chance.
Standing (or falling, based on last year's league-high 72 sacks) between him and the staring lineup are incumbent youngster Andrew Walter and veteran newcomer Josh McCown.
Walter lacks the mobility to escape the rush and McCown couldn't make a dent in Detroit. But JaMarcus Russell, who has a ridiculous arm, should get an early call because the Raiders averaged a league low 4.36 yards-per-pass play in 2006.
# Calvin Johnson (Georgia Tech), receiver, Detroit Lions: Yeah, as the second overall pick this guy seems pretty obvious. All Calvin Johnson does is register as a Terrell Owens with more size, strength and speed, better hands and a superior attitude. That's it.
Please note that the size and ability to elevate could be a boon to an offense that finished 30th in the league in red-zone efficiency. By the way, the Lions already have Roy Williams, which could provide single coverage for a dangerous rookie.
# Joe Thomas (Wisconsin), tackle, Cleveland Browns: A potentially great left tackle on a bad team seems as philosophically shaky as slurping expensive wine with canned spaghetti. But, hey, you have to start somewhere with the third pick.
Thomas, who went fishing during the draft, goes to a team that waited until late in the first round before it went fishing for a QB.
# Gaines Adams (Clemson), defensive end, Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Right, we're just marching down the first-round roll call to No. 4. Adams, it has been alleged, is quite similar to current Bucs defensive end Simeon Rice. Then why take him? Well, Tampa Bay's 25 sacks check in as the second-lowest total in the NFC.
With Rice ahead of him on one side and veteran free-agent acquisition Kevin Carter on the other, Adams will have to work harder to reach the field on a consistent basis.
# Levi Brown (Penn State), tackle, Arizona Cardinals: Brown is expected to line up on the right side, where he can protect Matt Leinart's blind spot. Apparently, this is the same side that prevented Leinart from seeing all of those photo-radar cameras in Scottsdale.
Anyway, even more important is Brown's anticipated ability as a road-grating run blocker for a team that averaged an NFC-worst 3.19 yards per rush in '06.
# Patrick Willis (Mississippi), linebacker, San Francisco 49ers: A few draft sharpies thought Willis went a bit quickly at 11, but something even more unreasonably high was the Niners' rushing-touchdowns-allowed number (18) last season.
# Adam Carriker (Nebraska), defensive line, St. Louis Rams: The 13th overall pick goes 6-foot-6 and more than 290 pounds — big enough to help the Rams bring down an NFC-high 145.4 rushing yards allowed per game.
Carriker, who spent most of his Cornhusker snaps on the edge, will have to adjust to life at tackle. Minicamp scuttlebutt says he's been doing just fine
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