With the conclusion of the NFL regular season, and the beginning of a new draft season, it’s time to look back on how the new crop of NFL talent fared in their initial seasons. Today we take a look at the defensive players who most impacted the league in their rookie campaigns.
DE: Ziggy Ansah, Lions, Rd 1 Pk 5
For being such a raw prospect heading into the season, Ansah had a stellar rookie campaign. The Ghana native lead all rookies in sacks, eclipsing Cliff Avril’s total, the man he replaced on the Lions D-line.
DE: Sheldon Richardson, Jets, Rd 1 Pk 13
Richardson received plenty of well-deserved hype during the early part of the season. However, his production seemed to fall off toward season’s end and it will be interesting to see how he comes into the 2014 season.
DE: Dion Jordan, Dolphins, Rd 1 Pk 3
As a player who was drafted solely to be a pass rusher, Jordan’s performance has been severely underwhelming. The former Duck registered only two sacks on the season for a team ranked in the bottom 10 for run defense.
DT: Star Lotulelei, Panthers, Rd 1 Pk 14; Kawann Short, Panthers, Rd 2 Pk 44
Part of Carolina’s resurgence as a playoff team is due to their improvements against the run and Lotulelei and Short are a big part of that. Both were able to step and become impact players early on also contributing a combined 5.5 sacks.
DT: Sharrif Floyd, Vikings, Rd 1 Pk 23
Floyd is an excellent athlete, but still has a long way to go before becoming an impact NFL player. Reuniting with head coach candidate Pat Quinn could help Floyd’s progression.
LB: Barkevious Mingo, Browns, Rd 1 Pk 6
The Browns defense has been improving for the past several seasons, and Mingo has helped add to that while transitioning to linebacker. The former LSU Tiger registered five sacks in his rookie season which is nice, but will need to add more as a rush threat nest season.
LB: Kiko Alonso, Bills, Rd 2 Pk 46
A likely candidate for defensive rookie of the year, Alonso has been a great addition for the Bills, racking up 159 tackles, two sacks, and four interceptions. The latter two stats matter more than the tackles, as they demonstrate his impact potential as a three down player.
LB: Jon Bostic, Bears, Rd 2 Pk 50
Chicago was ranked last in the NFL rush defense and while not all of that lies at Bostic’s feet, he has plenty of room to improve. Having worked his way into the lineup as the season went on, Bostic should look forward to a full season to prove his draft position.
LB: Paul Worrilow, Falcons, Free Agent; LB: Joplo Bartu, Falcons, Free Agent
Both Worrilow and Bartu were undrafted and managed to become starters on the Falcons defense. As nice of a story as this is, the Atlanta defense was horrible this season and you have to wonder if either player would be able to start on many other teams.
CB: Logan Ryan, Patriots, Rd 3 Pk 83
The Patriots love Rutgers defensive backs, and Ryan has validated their love by intercepting five passes in the last ten games of the season. Ryan will need to improve in coverage now that he has established himself as a ballhawk.
CB: Dee Milliner, Jets, Rd 1 Pk 9
Milliner finished his rookie season on a high note, unsurprising given that he was recovering from shoulder surgery during the offseason. Assuming he stays healthy, he should be able to carry over performance into his rookie season.
CB: Micah Hyde, Packers, Rd 5 Pk 159
After taking over for Jeremy Ross early in the season, Hyde became the Packers primary return man, finishing fifth in punt return average with a TD. Hyde also earned plenty of time in a mediocre secondary.
S: Kenny Vaccaro, Saints, Rd 1 Pk 15
It was a good draft for safeties, including the former Longhorn. New Orleans jumped from second worst in pass defense to second best this past season and Vaccaro should get a lot of credit of that.
S: Eric Reid, 49ers, Rd 1 Pk 18
Once again, the 49ers featured a stellar defense and Reid was able to step in and fill the role vacated by Dashon Goldson’s departure. Reid was able to get his hand on the football 11 times and also intercepted five passes, showing his excellent abilities in coverage.
S: Matt Elam, Ravens, Rd 1 Pk 32
Elam is at his best in the run game, which certainly showed with his 77 tackles on the season. After embarrassing himself in the media before the Monday night game, Elam responded with his best game of the season, recording his lone interception.
S: Jon Cyprien, Jaguars, Rd 2 Pk 33
Cyprien broke the century mark for tackles despite missing a game, but given the defense he had in front of him, his numbers are not overly impressive. Like Elam, Cyprien is best against the run, but will definitely need to improve his all-around game.
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