NFL

2014 NFL Draft Rookie Update: Picks 48 Through 52

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By @rickstavig

2014 NFL Draft

Evan Habeeb-USA TODAY Sports

Now that we’re three-quarters of the way through the current football season, we’re starting to get a better idea whether or not the rookies from the 2014 NFL Draft class were worth the hype or not. Don’t get me wrong, it’s still early in their careers and you shouldn’t assume a prospect has reached the pinnacle of their development, but we at least have an idea. So how are the top dogs looking? We already looked at the first round and the first half of the second, so now we’ll take a look at picks 48 through 52.

The Baltimore Ravens took DT/DE Timmy Jernigan with the 48th overall pick of the draft. After battling some knee injuries early in the year, Jernigan has really stepped up his game in recent weeks as the primary backup along the Ravens d-line. He’s graded out slightly above average in getting after the QB but has been a monster in run defense. It wouldn’t surprise me in the slightest if the Ravens eventually start him over the average Chris Canty with the playoffs looming.

TE Jace Amaro was picked 49th by the New York Jets. Amaro (predictably) has been invisible in the blocking aspect of the position but has been decent as a pass catcher, catching 34 balls on 45 targets for 291 yards and 2 TD’s. He needs to do a better job of making plays after the catch and also improving the consistency of his hands. His 4 dropped passes are sixth most among TE’s in the NFL, and he’s played at least 100 fewer snaps than the five guys ahead of him on that list.

OLB Jerry Attaochu was taken 50th overall by the San Diego Chargers. Overall he’s graded out well against the run and has looked good getting after the QB, but has seen his struggles in coverage, which was to be expected of the collegiate DE. The biggest thing for him this year has been getting on the field as he’s only logged 106 snaps due to a nagging hamstring injury. Still, the Chargers should feel good about his future, his development will only progress as he gets healthier and logs more snaps.

The Chicago Bears took DT Ego Ferguson at no. 51. Ferguson has been solid as a rotational backup behind Will Sutton and Stephen Paea, logging 230 snaps through 13 weeks and tallying 20 tackles and 2 sacks. The Bears would like more consistent pressure from Ferguson in getting up field, but he’s been solid against the run.

The Arizona Cardinals made TE Troy Niklas the 52nd overall pick. It was known he’d be a bit of a project considering how often he bounced around positions in college, so unsurprisingly he didn’t have huge numbers the first part of the year (3 receptions on 4 targets for 38 yards). During the second half of this year he’s been recovering from multiple bad ankle sprains that necessitated surgery, which forced him to the injured reserve. By this time next year, with an offseason to get healthy and master Bruce Arians’ offense, he should be a monster down the seams.

Rick Stavig is an NFL Draft Columnist for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @rickstavig or add him to your network on Google+.

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