How has the 2016 Draft Class Panned Out?

As the 2016 season comes to an end in just a few short weeks why don’t we take a glance at how this rookie class has turned out after their first year in the NFL. Obviously, we must start at the quarterback position where we have seen the rise of potential franchise QBs in the making with Philadelphia’s Carson Wentz and Dallas’s Dak Prescott while #1 overall pick Jared Goff still is still figuring things out in Los Angeles and Paxton Lynch is simply not capable of beating out Trevor Siemian for the job in Denver. While this years’ quarterback class has only produced a few starters, two QBs to keep an eye on heading into 2017 and beyond are Cleveland’s Cody Kessler and New York’s Christian Hackenberg who could have opportunities to compete for the starting job next season.

During the draft in April, everyone knew there was only going to be one running back taken in the first round and Dallas made that decision in they drafted Ezekiel Elliott in the top 5. Since that selection, Elliott has been nothing short of spectacular for Dallas and has the makings of a top 5 running back and a potential franchise changing player. While Elliott has been maybe the most impressive rookie this year, Tennessee’s Derrick Henry has developed into a great change of pace back for Titans and Chicago may have found the steal of the draft when they selected Jordan Howard in the fifth round who already has rushed for over 1,000 yards and could potentially see himself in the Pro Bowl as a rookie. Outside of these three, there are a few running backs worth mentioning who could see an increased workload moving forward including Denver’s Devontae Booker, Baltimore’s Kenneth Dixon and Philadelphia’s Wendell Smallwood.

Now heading into the 2016 draft, the wide receiver class looked to be an impressive group with great potential but as of right now this group has had up and down moments to say the least. Out of the four receivers taken in the first round, Houston’s Will Fuller has made the most of his opportunity but since his great debut he has slowly fallen back down to earth. In terms of the others taken in the first round, Minnesota’s Laquon Treadwell and Washington’s Josh Doctson have seen the field that much and Cleveland’s Corey Coleman was sidelined with an injury which only adds to the list of question marks regarding this group. While the first-round picks have not been great, there have been several receivers who were taken beyond the first round who have made big impacts on their teams including New York’s Sterling Shepard, New Orleans’ Michael Thomas, Cincinnati’s Tyler Boyd, New England’s Malcolm Mitchell and Kansas City’s Tyreke Hill.

Since we are still on the topic of rookies making an impact on offense, San Diego tight end Hunter Henry looks to be the future replacement for Antonio Gates and while the offensive line is arguably the most underappreciated part of football, besides kickers and punters, there are several offensive linemen who have made a statement this season. Baltimore’s Ronnie Stanley, Tennessee’s Jack Conklin and Detroit’s Taylor Decker have established themselves are reliable tackles, while Miami found a good guard in Laremy Tunsil and Chicago’s Cody Whitehair and Indianapolis’s Ryan Kelly are already starting centers with great upside. Needless to say, the offensive side of the ball has seen its fair share of good and bad moments from rookies but the upside is certainly there heading into 2017.

While I may have talked up this year’s rookie class in terms of offensive talent and potential, there is certainly defensive talent as well in all three phases of the defense. This group of defensive lineman heading into the draft was one of the more deeper classes in terms of depth and so far, they have not disappointed. San Diego’s Joey Bosa had an interesting start to his season but has since become an important piece on the Chargers defensive line and looks the part of a future Pro Bowler. Along with Bosa, San Francisco’s Deforest Buckner, New Orleans’s Sheldon Rankins, Detroit’s A’Shawn Robinson, Seattle’s Jarran Reed, Dallas’s Maliek Collins and Pittsburgh’s Javon Hargrave have all made impactful plays this season and that is not even the entire list of defensive linemen. There are still close to a dozen rookies that I did not name who maybe did not have good seasons but certainly have the upside and potential to be key contributors moving forward.

Outside of the defensive line, there have also been great edge rushers and linebackers who have had good seasons as well. Chicago traded up for outside linebacker Leonard Floyd and so far, it looks to have paid off for the Bears. Tampa Bay’s Noah Spence is another edge rusher who had first round talent yet fell to the second round and had since proven to be a great, young pass rusher who can get to the quarterback with ease. Along with these two, Cleveland’s Emmanuel Ogbah, Jacksonville’s Yannick Ngakoue and Baltimore’s Matt Judon have each established themselves as good contributors in the pass rushing department and could battle for starting roles heading into next season. While there have been several key pass rushers in this class, let’s not glance over other linebackers who may not be pass rushing specialists but more of the traditional run stopping, coverage linebacker. New York’s Darron Lee, Atlanta’s Deion Jones, Minnesota’s De’Vondre Campbell and San Diego’s Jatavis Brown have all flown under the radar from the media but are tackling machines and can only get better with proper development. Two linebackers to keep an eye out for in the future are Dallas’s Jaylon Smith and Chicago’s Nick Kwiatkoski; Smith is out for an extended period with an injury but has the potential to be a future star at inside linebacker and Kwiatkoski was given a chance to start a few games and looks comfortable at inside linebacker in Chicago.

Much like the other two phases of the defense, this year’s rookie class of secondary players had a lot of hype and so far, it has had both its good moments and its questionable moments. Jacksonville’s Jalen Ramsey already looks the part of a #1 cornerback while Tampa Bay’s Vernon Hargreaves, New York Eli Apple and Pittsburgh’s Artie Burns have shown flashes this season but have yet to put together consistent performances this season. Outside of these few there is not a lot of depth at the cornerback position but the safety position looks promising. Oakland’s Karl Joseph, Atlanta’s Keanu Neal, New Orleans’s Vonn Bell, Washington’s Su’a Cravens, and Cleveland’s Briean Boddy-Calhoun have all had good performances this season and have started to show that this year’s safety class may have great potential beyond this season.

Now that we have looked over this rookie class, I must say that there are a lot of things to like about the 2016 class after just one season. While some of the high draft picks have not panned out yet, there is certainly upside with many of these prospects and it will be interesting to see how they develop moving forward. Now I know that I did not mention every rookie and I may have missed some, but these are the rookies that have made the most of their opportunities this season and this list may certainly as we look ahead to 2017 and beyond. With this discussion coming to end, allow me to hand out my rookie awards for the 2016 NFL Draft class:

Rookie of the Year: Ezekiel Elliot RB Dallas Cowboys (Runner-up- Dak Prescott QB Dallas Cowboys)

Offensive Rookie of the Year: Ezekiel Elliott RB Dallas Cowboys (Jordan Howard RB Chicago Bears)

Defensive Rookie of the Year: Joey Bosa DE San Diego Chargers (Leonard Floyd OLB Chicago Bears)

Steal of the Draft: Dak Prescott QB Dallas Cowboys- 4th round