Kiper’s mid season rookie ratings

http://insider.espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/11787828/nfl-baltimore-ravens-cj-mosley-tops-mel-kiper-midseason-rookie-rankings

1. C.J. Mosley, ILB, Baltimore Ravens
(Midseason defensive rookie of the year)

The temptation here is to push Mosley down a bit because he’s playing a position that, at least traditionally, has been one where guys have the chance to transition quickly and succeed if you put enough talent in front of them and keep blockers occupied. But Mosley has been even better than good. I think he’s been in the neighborhood of Luke Kuechly, Patrick Willis, Bobby Wagner — in other words, playing his position as well as anybody in the NFL plays his position. He leads all rookies in tackles, and leads his team. He also has a pair of interceptions.

2. Zack Martin, OG, Dallas Cowboys
(Midseason offensive rookie of the year)

Although the Dallas rushing game has been a huge part of the team’s success this season, Martin hasn’t just been good in creating a push there; he’s also been good in providing protection in the passing game. The former Notre Dame tackle has adjusted with ease to the move to guard, and I’ve seen enough failures in that move over the years to simply pass it off as an easy adjustment. He’s been great, and it has directly affected the fortunes of his team.

3. Khalil Mack, OLB, Oakland Raiders

I know I’m going to hear arguments that I have Mack too low, which shows just how good he’s been. Although he has delivered plenty of pressure, I’ll be a little old-school and dock him just slightly for not yet having a sack to his name; but other than that, it’s hard to have any complaints. Where Mack has really been fantastic is against the run. When I go through Oakland games on a play-to-play basis, I’m seeing the most consistent player on that defense.

4. Joel Bitonio, OG, Cleveland Browns

He’s already one of the better run-blocking guards in the NFL, and I don’t think the fact that Cleveland’s rushing average per carry has dipped this season has anything to do with him. The loss of Alex Mack has hurt, and minus Josh Gordon — and with a green QB — teams are simply stacking the box. Bitonio has been great, and he should continue on this path.

5. Sammy Watkins, WR, Buffalo Bills

I realize there are other rookies in this class who have more catches (Brandin Cooks) or just as many touchdowns (Kelvin Benjamin). But I have Watkins a tick ahead of both because he’s leading the rookie class in receiving yards and has 16 more targets than any other player on his team — which is now a 5-3 team. He also has fewer drops than Benjamin, who’s in a similar argument for alpha-receiver status in his team’s offense. Watkins has had ups and downs, but he also has made huge plays, and those have helped Buffalo win.

6. Jason Verrett, CB, San Diego Chargers

Snap count matters, and the fact that Verrett’s is now down from the last time we did these rankings is reflected in his drop. He’s been outstanding when he’s on the field, showing the chops of a veteran, but he’s under 250 total snaps for the season, and could dip here further as he works through a shoulder injury. That said, when he plays, Verrett hasn’t been far off a Pro Bowl level.

7. Aaron Donald, DT, St. Louis Rams

It was only a matter of time for Donald. Through five weeks, he hadn’t played more than 30 snaps in a game, and I wrote a few weeks ago that, if he was simply on the field more, the production would accelerate. He has 2.0 sacks and already leads the team in tackles for loss. What I think is really notable is how he clearly occupies defenders and frees things up for others. He’s a force and could be at the top of this list by season’s end.

8. Anthony Barr, OLB, Minnesota Vikings

Anybody who watched the NFL last week saw Barr’s overtime play that got Minnesota the win: a strip of Austin Seferian-Jenkins that Barr picked up and returned for a touchdown in overtime. Although that might have been a welcome moment for some, Barr has been good all year in what’s been a fantastic performance because he has had to adjust to a different role — playing 4-3 OLB instead of doing the pass rushing he was at UCLA.

9. Kelvin Benjamin, WR, Carolina Panthers

Benjamin is similar to Watkins in that he’s been both inconsistent and absolutely essential to his team. The Panthers drafted him and asked him to step in and be a No. 1 right away, and he has led them in targets and is second only to veteran tight end Greg Olsen in receptions. He also has nine receptions of 20-plus yards, providing Cam Newton the downfield threat he needs.

10. Corey Linsley, C, Green Bay Packers

He’s been on the field every snap of the season and has been solid taking over at center for the Packers. Although I wouldn’t say he’s been dominant, what’s impressive about Linsley is that he looks as if he’s been playing for a handful of years and, aside from Josh Sitton, is as dependable as anybody the Packers have up front. He is looking like a steal, having been selected in the fifth round.

11. Preston Brown, OLB, Buffalo Bills

Not only does he lead the Bills in tackles, with 60, but he’s been flying around in coverage.

12. Brandin Cooks, WR, New Orleans Saints

He doesn’t have the yardage so far, but Cooks is a main target of Drew Brees — he has 52 targets, next to Jimmy Graham’s 54.

13. E.J. Gaines, CB, St. Louis Rams

He leads the Rams in passes defensed and is an every-down player at this point. He could keep rising.

14. Kyle Fuller, CB, Chicago Bears

He has dropped because he’s not playing as many snaps as he had, but the Bears’ secondary problems go beyond him — mainly to safety.

15. Derek Carr, QB, Oakland Raiders

Given what’s going on with the Jets and Jaguars, you could argue Carr is no longer a QB who could start for only one team. The Raiders aren’t consistently competitive, but he’s been decent.

Notables in the mix, in no particular order
• Taylor Lewan, OT, Tennessee Titans: He has played full snaps the past few weeks and has played well. Moving up.

• Bashaud Breeland, CB, Washington Redskins: Was outstanding in defending Dez Bryant on Monday night. Lots of natural talent.

• Allen Robinson, WR, Jacksonville Jaguars: Has 39 receptions; nobody else on the Jags has more than 23.

• Branden Oliver, RB, San Diego Chargers: A tremendous two-week stretch when called upon, he has proved he can stick around.

• Jerick McKinnon, RB, Minnesota Vikings: Maybe the best overall athlete in the entire draft; he won’t disappoint when he’s a true No. 1.

• Mike Evans, WR, Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Quietly, he has just one fewer reception than Vincent Jackson.

• Chandler Catanzaro, K, Arizona Cardinals: Hasn’t missed a kick, including going 6-for-6 from beyond 40 yards.

• Bradley Roby, CB, Denver Broncos: Hasn’t been great the past couple of weeks, but he has had a solid start to his career.

• Calvin Pryor, S, New York Jets: Will get better in coverage, but he’s not afraid to come downhill.

• Avery Williamson, ILB, Tennessee Titans: Didn’t play to start the season, but now is a guy the Titans rely upon.

• Deone Bucannon, S, Arizona Cardinals: He has had a couple of stinkers, but the guy will lay a hit and is going to be pretty good in coverage. He makes plays.

• Aaron Lynch, OLB, San Francisco 49ers: Has flashed as a pass-rusher. Bright future.

• John Brown, WR, Arizona Cardinals: Just 22 catches so far, but his role is expanding. More big plays to come.

• Jack Mewhort, OG, Indianapolis Colts: Effective if not outstanding when he’s been on the field.

• Davante Adams, WR, Green Bay Packers: With him now third on the Packers in receptions, you can see Aaron Rodgers’ chemistry with him improving.

• Teddy Bridgewater, QB, Minnesota Vikings: A big-time drive got the Vikings a tie in a game they ultimately won Sunday. He’s getting close to really being comfortable.

• Jordan Matthews, WR, Philadelphia Eagles: Now has 29 receptions, and could more than double that with his second-half tally.

• Ja’Wuan James, OT, Miami Dolphins: Has had some ups and downs, but I think the Dolphins are pleased with his performance so far.

• Jace Amaro, TE, New York Jets: Who knows what he’ll see in terms of targets, given the QB situation, but it’s clear he’ll be on the field.

• Lamarcus Joyner, CB, St. Louis Rams: He was a versatile player in college, and provides value to the Rams’ defense even as he’s getting adjusted.

bump

it’s a relevant issue I think.

HighPlainsDrifter wrote:

That’s cool, zn. He coordinated New Orleans’ defense for three seasons. One season at No. 24, one season at No. 25, and one at No. 4. In the season at No. 4, the Saints played twelve games against teams in the bottom fourteen of the NFL in offense, including two against the NFL’s worst offensive team, Carolina, and one vs. No. 31 (Arizona) And they did well against those teams. They faced exactly one top ten offense (Dallas). And then puking all over themselves in the playoffs against an offensively challenged 49er team. What would you expect? Color me dubious. I’m not a Gregg Williams fan. I don’t think he has proven anything. If he has proven anything it’s that he has a lot to prove. The bar is set high when you have a reputation as a defensive guru, and he is tripping all over it.

New Orleans had no personnel on defense (ie it had very few players) but he managed to make it competitive, and one year, against the odds, to actually rank top 5. He had Washington’s defense in the top 10 3 of 4 years. He had several good defenses with the Titans. So he has done it at a high level.

So, yeah, he has proven things. I get that you’re not a fan but that doesn’t mean he hasn’t had top defenses before…he has. I mean just plain objectively, he HAS done it.

Meanwhile, while I get why guys put the defensive issues on Williams, I just personally don’t. I think it’s a lot of things, and not reducible to having a bad coach.

Wms. is a volatile topic because a lot of people just plain dislike him. I leave all that out of it. I can only go with what my eyes tell me…and my eyes tell me that this team drafted a lot of freelancers and headstrong maturity cases on defense, and that they are not going to get reined in overnight. I think they would have won a few if not all of their previous games if they had not made unbelievable “what were you thinking” execution errors on defense (Jenkings, Ogletree, to name 2 examples). If I ever expected that to get cleared up overnight, I had a rude awakening…the pegs still need to be pounded back into the slots. Apparently that is not an overnight process.

wv wrote:

I dont like him much either,
but he was in charge of other
defenses besides the Saints.
So, if we are gonna look at history
i think we have to consider Buffalo
and Washington too.

There ‘are’ people out there
who think the league has
“figured out” GW. I dunno.

Personally, i have to wait
and see how he does in the second
half of the year.

He’s flunked the first half.

w
v

He didn’t have the personnel in New Orleans but still made it work best he could and one year was even top 5. I don’t count Buffalo because he wasn’t the coordinator. Either way, he has had top 10 defenses his whole career.

And, I don’t think anyone figured him out. So now the Rams lead the league in tackles for loss and they only lose because they make incredible game-turning mistakes, but their defense has been figured out? (?)

Unless injuries completely undermine them, they’re just going to get better on defense. What they need to just STOP is the boneheaded errors resulting in huge big plays. But that’s execution. It’s coaching if it’s the EXACT SAME errors game in and game out, but these guys just keep coming up with new ones.

Personally, when it comes to liking or not liking Wms, I think he did his time and gets another chance. People can disagree with that and I completely understand.

HighPlainsDrifter wrote:

I believe that Gregg Williams bears the lion’s share of the blame for the condition of this defense. It was a young, promising defense last season, and expected to be among the league’s best this season. The cast is largely the same, minus Chris Long (but add a talented Aaron Donald), and another year of experience under their belt. Enter Gregg Williams and they can’t find their asses with a mirror. I think we need to stop labeling the draft picks as mistakes and apply that label to Williams. He was a horrible hire and has set this defense back to where it was two or three years ago. I think he is an egomaniac who constantly feels the need to demonstrate his genius and has over-complicated everything. He needs to go. He has his own good in mind and not the good of the team. The season is essentially over, so I see no reason not to fire him now. Bring in someone who is driven to put his players in a position to succeed, not to put himself in a position to succeed.

I don’t see it the same way.

Williams has put up good defenses every where he has been. Including the Saints, who were top 5 one year.

Meanwhile what I see is not a lack of talent OR a bad coach. I see a team struggling to adjust to a new set of techniques, a new system, and so on. To me it looks the same as when the offense struggled early with McD’s offense in 2011. But mixed in with that, young players are making game-killing mistakes, and then allowing themselves to get deflated by them. To me, if you eliminate all that–the mistakes + deflation–they’re actually not that bad and improving. Even with the injuries.

https://www.profootballfocus.com/blog/2014/10/27/refo-rams-at-chiefs-week-8/

St. Louis Rams – Performances of Note

Robert Quinn, DE: +2.0

Breakdown: Much has been made this season about Quinn’s inability to get to the quarterback after an outstanding 2013 season, but today he showed flashes of what made him so special last year, with two sacks, three hurries, a forced fumble, and four stops on defense.

Signature Play: Q1, 2:37 remaining. After flushing Smith from the pocket, Quinn is able to not only chase him down from behind but strip the football as well. Unfortunately for the Rams, defensive back Lamarcus Joyner can’t make the recovery and the Chiefs end up retaining possession.

Joe Barksdale, RT: -3.5

Breakdown: Barksdale has been terrific in run blocking for most of the season, but he is beginning to get exposed in pass protection, as he was again in Kansas City. He gave up his first two sacks of the year, in addition to five hurries, the most total pressures he has allowed in a game so far in 2014.

Signature Play: Q3, 3:50 remaining. Justin Houston makes a nice inside swim move on Barksdale and takes Davis down for the sack.

William Hayes, DE: +2.5

Breakdown: Ever since Chris Long went down early in the year with an ankle injury, Hayes has done a tremendous job filling in for the All-Pro. His five stops in the run game were second among all Ram defenders on Sunday, and he also contributed three hurries. His Pass Rush Productivity rating of 11.1 puts him fifth among the 37 ranked 4-3 defensive ends for the year.

Signature Play: Q4, 11:38 remaining. A great jump off the line gets him around Chiefs’ right tackle Ryan Harris, allowing him to wrap up Davis for a 3-yard loss.

GreatRamNTheSky wrote:

I have to admit I find the combining of threads annoying. Hard to find stuff I’ve posted and see any responses when they’ve been moved around like that.

Grits

I will scale it back. Thanks for speaking up.

But in turn, give this some thought. Posters should try not to keep adding new threads on topics that are already going. So now and then, try to just add to ongoing topics that are already about what you want to discuss.