NFL’s Top Ten Impact Rookies

The NFL season is creeping slowly towards us. It’s about time to start breaking down some of the players who dominated the college game and are looking to make an immediate impact in the NFL.

You won’t find any quarterbacks on our list, mainly because it’s still questionable if either will start. Matt Stafford should get a ton of time under center and he will definitely make an impact, but it will probably be of the negative variety. Peyton Manning would have a tough time completing a pass with the Lions O-line. Mark Sanchez will be asked to simply manage the game for the Jets. We’re looking for some big time production from the players on this list and we think Sanchez and Stafford are just going to get assimilated to the NFL game.

From return men to hybrid defensive players, our list has them all. Some of these players will have a chip on their shoulder from slipping in the draft, while others will be out to prove that their signing bonus wasn’t wasted. Here we go…….

The NFL’s Top Ten Impact Rookies

1. Aaron Curry LB, Seattle - Curry is going to be this year’s version of Patrick Willis who finished 2nd in the NFL with 141 tackles in 2008 but had 174 in 2007 as a rookie. Combined with Lofa Tatupu, Seattle’s linebacking core will be one of the most active in the league. If the Seahawks turn the ship around this year, Curry will receive a lot of credit and reel in Defensive Rookie of the Year honors. He combines his aggressive mentality with a mature approach to make the most out of his physical frame.

2. Jason Smith OL, St. Louis - Running back Steven Jackson is going to be ecstatic about the arrival of the Baylor Beast to “The Show Me State.” Smith is a blue collar grinder who will outwork you from the snap of the ball to two seconds after the whistle blows. He has a tremendous upside and a mean streak that will make him one of the most feared lineman in the NFL for the next decade.

3. Michael Crabtree WR, San Francisco - If the 49ers had a quarterback to throw Crabtree the ball, he would be on the top of this list. Unfortunately for Crabtree, Shaun Hill is back under center for the Niners and their leading receiver last year was 35 year old Isaac Bruce. It could be worse, Crabtree could have ended up in the dumpster fire called Oakland.

4. B.J. Raji DT, Green Bay - While the Pack adjust to a 3-4 defensive scheme, Raji will be counted on to be the rock up the middle. The Boston College product is going to demand double teams and allow a talented group of linebackers to wreak havoc in the backfield. A D-Tackle’s worth is sometimes hard to define in a 3-4 due to lack of statistics but there is a reason why guys like Warren Sapp and Albert Haynesworth become the highest paid players on their team.

5. Percy Harvin WR, Minnesota - We know the story about rookie WRs in the NFL and how they don’t make an immediate impact. So why do we have three on this list? Crabtree is a freak and an exception to every rule. Percy, along with a guy further down the list, is going to be a target on special teams and out of the backfield as well. He can run the ‘wildcat’ or line up as a running back on third down. Players like that make an impact on the game without even touching the ball. A good punt/kick returner is the most underrated weapon in today’s NFL.

6. Brian Cushing LB, Houston - The Texans already have a pit bull on the outside in Mario Williams. Now, when teams try to run to the other side, Cushing will be there with his explosiveness and perfect form to knock the snot out someone. Cushing constantly finds around the ball and is a workhorse with a tremendous motor. He’ll learn from one of the most underrated players in the league, playing alongside DeMeco Ryans.

7. Jeremy Maclin WR, Philadelphia - It’s hard to put fear into teams in the NFC East. So how is a 6′, 200lb rookie going to make the Beasts of the East tremble? By lining up as a punt returner and kick returner in key spots of the game, that’s how! It’s so demoralizing to a team that has just scored, to take the kickoff and put the defense’s back up against the goal line. That is the type of threat Maclin and Harvin provide and it scares the hell out of even the best defensive squads.

8. Donald Brown RB, Indianapolis - Brown is a quiet, unassuming gentleman off the field and a brutal, gutsy, rip-your-heart-out beast on the field. Those are the types of players the Colts have rode to the Super Bowl in the past and Indy doesn’t have any lower expectations this year. What can Brown do for Indy? Look for his fresh legs to get most of the carries late in games as the Colts wear teams down with their run game that will be top five in the league this year thanks to the emergence of Brown. Peyton will finally have a prime time back to rely on and keep the defense honest.

9. Larry English DE/LB, San Diego - The Chargers will bring back Shawne Merriman and add English to a team that Norv Turner will have a hard time messing up. English is one of those hybrid defensive freaks who can line up in three-point stance or roam around the second level as a linebacker. Coming out of Northern Illinois, he was a quiet first-rounder but he’s going to make a very loud impact on the game in 2009. He’ll sack whoever starts for Oakland, twice, during the first game of his career. Stamp it!

10. Brandon Pettigrew TE, Detroit - The Lions are pathetic, yes we know. But Matt Stafford, or whoever starts for Detroit, is going to need someone to dump the ball off to while they run for their life. Pettigrew is that guy. He’s also a tremendous blocker and has reliable hands. Those two characteristics mixed with the fact he can out-run most linebackers will make Pettigrew one of the better tight ends in the league immediately. Think of Jeremy Shockey mixed with an offensive lineman. He’s basically a sixth lineman. The Lions need as many as they can find!