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NFL Rookies Already Struggling to Succeed
Credit: Jake Roth-USA TODAY SportsNot all NFL Draft picks can be winners. Some turn out to be average players, while the select few end up being labeled “busts.” And while it’s still too early for all of these players to earn that dreaded stamp on their foreheads, the early results aren’t promising.
Here’s a look at 25 NFL rookies already looking like disappointments. I'm not calling them busts, just players who look like disappointments so far.
FYI: Players dealing with injuries (i.e. Kevin White, Breshad Perriman) weren't considered
NFL Rookies Already Struggling to Succeed
Not all NFL Draft picks can be winners. Some turn out to be average players, while the select few end up being labeled “busts.” And while it’s still too early for all of these players to earn that dreaded stamp on their foreheads, the early results aren’t promising.
Here’s a look at 25 NFL rookies already looking like disappointments. I'm not calling them busts, just players who look like disappointments so far.
FYI: Players dealing with injuries (i.e. Kevin White, Breshad Perriman) weren't considered
Nelson Agholor, WR, Philadelphia Eagles (No. 20)
Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY SportsNelson Agholor, WR, Philadelphia Eagles (No. 20)
Between Chip Kelly’s comments and his preseason showing, Agholor looked like he was ready to take the NFL by storm as a rookie. Although the Eagles’ offensive struggles may be partly to blame, the first-round receiver has miserably failed to assert himself as a playmaker.
Jameis Winston, QB, Tampa Bay Buccaneers (No. 1)
Credit: Bruce Hemmelgarn-USA TODAY SportsJameis Winston, QB, Tampa Bay Buccaneers (No. 1)
Up to this point, Winston has shown glimpses for the Buccaneers, but not much more. He's throwing far too many interceptions, and appears incapable of putting together a strong scoring drive consistently. Winston has the weapons to succeed in Tampa Bay, so there's no excuse beyond he's not living up to the billing as the top pick.
Melvin Gordon, RB, San Diego Chargers (No. 15)
Credit: Matt Kartozian-USA TODAY SportsMelvin Gordon, RB, San Diego Chargers (No. 15)
The future is certainly still bright for Melvin Gordon, but he's gotten off to a wretched start as a rookie. He's struggled to hold onto the ball, and can't seem to get anything going on the ground. The Chargers have been forced to bench him as Danny Woodhead and Branden Oliver became bigger parts of the San Diego offense.
DeVante Parker, WR, Miami Dolphins (No. 14)
Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY SportsDeVante Parker, WR, Miami Dolphins (No. 14)
So far this season, the Dolphins’ revamped passing game hasn’t been great. Part of the reason for that is Parker’s inability to assert himself as the force he was drafted to be. He’s been slowed by injury, but has been relatively ineffective when he does manage to see the field.
Landon Collins, FS, New York Giants (No. 33)
Credit: Getty ImagesLandon Collins, FS, New York Giants (No. 33)
There was a lot of talk leading up to the 2015 NFL Draft that Collins’ struggles in coverage would be a crutch at the next level. Unfortunately for the Giants’ secondary, that’s been exactly the case. Sure, Collins makes plays against the run, but he's a huge liability when it comes to slowing down opposing passing attacks.
Ameer Abdullah, RB, Detroit Lions (No. 54)
Credit: Getty ImagesAmeer Abdullah, RB, Detroit Lions (No. 54)
Throughout the preseason, Abdullah was lauded as this tremendous steal who would immediately emerge as a star in the NFL. Some even compared him to Barry Sanders. While his Week 1 performance gave fans reason to be excited, it’s been a completely different story since. So far, Abdullah hasn’t lived up to the hype.
Cameron Erving, G, Cleveland Browns (No. 19)
Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY SportsCameron Erving, G, Cleveland Browns (No. 19)
The Browns have an above-average offensive line, but it’s still rather surprising Erving hasn’t managed to earn significant snaps. It’s early in his NFL career, but the No. 19 overall pick should have worked his way into a larger role at this point. Let's put it this way -- he sees more action on special teams than offense.
Devin Funchess, WR, Carolina Panthers (No. 41)
Credit: Getty ImagesDevin Funchess, WR, Carolina Panthers (No. 41)
When the Panthers lost Kelvin Benjamin to a torn ACL, the Funchess hype train picked up ridiculous speeds. Since the regular season kicked off, that same train has come crashing off the rails. Carolina is giving him opportunities to make plays, but he’s simply not producing.
Ereck Flowers, OT, New York Giants (No. 9)
Credit: Getty ImagesEreck Flowers, OT, New York Giants (No. 9)
Since taking over as the Giants’ starting left tackle, Flowers has been a disaster. Although he’s proven to be a reliable run blocker, he’s getting absolutely demolished in pass protection. Eli Manning must be hating this pick, just like I did when it was announced on April 30.
Bud Dupree, OLB, Pittsburgh Steelers (No. 22)
Credit: Getty ImagesBud Dupree, OLB, Pittsburgh Steelers (No. 22)
Just looking at the stat sheet may be deceiving, as Dupree has already notched a few sacks so far in 2015. However, for the most part, he’s been fairly ineffective for the Steelers. He’s a liability in coverage, struggles against the run and just looks like the transition isn’t going well. At most, he's been a one-trick pony, which isn't what you expect from a first-round pick.
Malcom Brown, DT, New England Patriots (No. 32)
Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY SportsMalcom Brown, DT, New England Patriots (No. 32)
It’s starting to make sense why Brown fell all the way to the end of the first round. The Patriots haven’t seen squat from him, as the Texas product has been absolutely dominated in the run game while providing little impact as a pass rusher.
Sammie Coates, WR, Pittsburgh Steelers (No. 87)
Credit: Getty ImagesSammie Coates, WR, Pittsburgh Steelers (No. 87)
We all knew there were concerns about Coates’ football IQ coming in, and the Steelers are finding out the hard way why the questions existed. Despite Martavis Bryant being suspended, the third-round pick has failed to carve out a niche in the Pittsburgh passing game – he’s barely seen the field at all.
Danny Shelton, DT, Cleveland Browns (No. 12)
Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY SportsDanny Shelton, DT, Cleveland Browns (No. 12)
Spending the No. 12 pick on a defensive tackle means you expect absolutely dominance. Unfortunately for the Browns, that isn’t what they’re getting from Shelton. Sure, he’s been average against the run. However, the amount of pressure he’s producing up the middle hasn’t lived up to the billing.
Kwon Alexander, ILB, Tampa Bay Buccaneers (No. 124)
Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY SportsKwon Alexander, ILB, Tampa Bay Buccaneers (No. 124)
Yes, Alexander is a fourth-round pick (the only one on this list), but he came out of the preseason with tons of hype surrounding him. Unfortunately, he hasn't lived up to said hype, struggling to consistently make plays against top talent -- especially as a run defender. Don't believe me? Just ask Pro Football Focus, who have him ranked 152 out of 156 eligible linebackers.
D.J. Humphries, OT, Arizona Cardinals (No. 24)
Credit: Getty ImagesD.J. Humphries, OT, Arizona Cardinals (No. 24)
When a player is taken in the first round, it’s safe to assume they’ll at least see the field as a rookie (barring injury). Humphries has struggled so mightily for the Cardinals that he hasn’t seen a single snap in 2015. It turns out Bruce Arians was correct to criticize Humphries throughout training camp.
Tevin Coleman, RB, Atlanta Falcons (No. 73)
Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY SportsTevin Coleman, RB, Atlanta Falcons (No. 73)
Coleman isn't completely to blame for his fate this season, but it's disappointing that he went from starter to afterthought for the Falcons. He got hurt early in the season, and backup Devonta Freeman came in and lit the NFL on fire. Coleman has since returned, but is clearly nothing more than a change-of-pace back.
Mario Edwards Jr., OLB, Oakland Raiders (No. 35)
Credit: Getty ImagesMario Edwards Jr., OLB, Oakland Raiders (No. 35)
Edwards seems to possess so much potential, but the Raiders haven’t seen much of it. The second-round edge player has seen limited snaps since the start of the regular season, and been utterly ineffective as a run defender and pass rusher.
Chris Conley, WR, Kansas City Chiefs (No. 76)
Credit: Aaron Doster-USA TODAY SportsChris Conley, WR, Kansas City Chiefs (No. 76)
Despite the addition of Jeremy Maclin this offseason, the Chiefs have still struggled to get consistent production out of their wide receivers. One of the main reasons for that disappointing production is Conley, who has been a non-factor despite his third-round billing. Plenty of opportunities, but Conley hasn't been able to capitalize.
Jordan Richards, SS, New England Patriots (No. 64)
Credit: Stew Milne-USA TODAY SportsJordan Richards, SS, New England Patriots (No. 64)
Richards was one of the biggest reaches of the 2015 NFL Draft, and it's starting to become clear why the Patriots' decision to select him at the end of the second round was a head scratcher. He's made a minimal impact in the New England secondary, struggling to consistently see the field -- not what you want from a second-round pick.
Donovan Smith, OT, Tampa Bay Buccaneers (No. 34)
Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY SportsDonovan Smith, OT, Tampa Bay Buccaneers (No. 34)
The Buccaneers selected Smith in the second round with the hope of providing their rookie quarterback with some solid protection. Unfortunately, that hasn’t exactly been the case, as he’s consistently struggling to keep pass rushers at bay. His run blocking chops haven't been much better.
Denzel Perryman, ILB, San Diego Chargers (No. 48)
Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY SportsDenzel Perryman, ILB, San Diego Chargers (No. 48)
So far this season, the Chargers’ inside linebackers have been playing terribly. And yet, the team still insists on leaving Perryman on the bench. After battling injuries during training camp, he’s spent the early part of the 2015 campaign watching from the sidelines. Not a promising sign for the second-round pick.
Phillip Dorsett, WR, Indianapolis Colts (No. 29)
Credit: Thomas J. Russo-USA TODAY SportsPhillip Dorsett, WR, Indianapolis Colts (No. 29)
There were a lot of critical Colts fans who were furious when the team spent its 2015 first-round pick on a wide receiver. While he's shown flashes of big-play ability, Dorsett hasn't carved a niche for himself despite several opportunities to do so. He's currently fourth on the depth chart and has only had one impact game so far.
Laken Tomlinson, G, Detroit Lions (No. 28)
Credit: Tim Fuller-USA TODAY SportsLaken Tomlinson, G, Detroit Lions (No. 28)
It’s been a rough ride for Tomlinson so far, as he’s trying to live up to the hype of being a first-round pick despite having (in my opinion) Day 2 talent. It’s even more disappointing because the Lions’ starting left guard has been destroyed as a run blocker, which was supposed to be his biggest strength.
Nate Orchard, OLB, Cleveland Browns (No. 51)
Credit: Scott R. Galvin-USA TODAY SportsNate Orchard, OLB, Cleveland Browns (No. 51)
Some were surprised when the Browns took Orchard in the second round, and now we're starting to see why. While the Utah product has shown some promising signs early on, he's been ineffective overall. For a guy lauded as an excellent pass rusher, his inability to consistently get after the quarterback has been disappointing so far.
Ty Sambrailo, OT, Denver Broncos (No. 59)
Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY SportsTy Sambrailo, OT, Denver Broncos (No. 59)
I give Sambrailo a bit of pass because he was thrust into a starting role after Ryan Clady tore his ACL, but he still hasn't responded well. He's struggled mightily as the Broncos' starting left tackle, and seems overmatched by most NFL edge rushers. The jury is obviously still out on Sambrailo, but his early showings have to have Denver slightly concerned.
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