Quote:1. Allen Robinson - Was on pace for a 70+ catch 900+ yard rookie season with almost no drops on a team surrounded by other rookies and a rookie QB. I think he led all rookies in 3rd down conversion percentage. At 21 years old he was playing like a vet. And Hackenberg went to crap when Penn State lost him. Yeah, he gon be special. Glad it's for this team.
2. Telvin Smith - He's been a beast and pretty much the 3rd best rookie linebacker behind Borland and Mack this year. Once he gets up to 225+ he'll be a nightmare for offenses. His coverage ability combined with his speed and run stopping is amazing. And he makes big game changing plays and is a great presence on the field and in the lockerroom. Once again, a special player and should be a fixture on this defense for years to come.
3. Brandon Linder - Purely speaking on play this season at their respective position, he has probably been the best rookie. He almost never gives up pressure and is a mauler in the run game while he has nothing next to him at RT. I don't know how our scouting staff figured out what pretty much no one else in the scouting community did, but bravo to us. He has played like an All-Pro as a rookie with a porous RT next to him.
4. Aaron Colvin - In the limited time he's been on the field, he's looked like a future star CB. He shows up every game with a great hit or coverage play, and like Telvin is a great energy spark. He's clearly the most talented player in the secondary and he's only been on the field for what, 5 games? Yeah, once again, special player.
5. Allen Hurns - What he's done as a UDFA is nothing short of incredible. He'll be pushed down the depth chart next year, but it's really nice knowing that if one of our receivers get hurt we have a player like Hurns we can just pull out.
Misc: Bortles, Bowanko, and Lee have been up and down but all show great promise for the future. Bowanko needs to put on another 10 pounds and he'll probably be a beast. If Bortles commits the entire offseason to fixing his footwork he could be pretty special next year. This year was a good learning experience for him and he got learn the value of taking care of the ball early and he's really improved at that, so now next year he shouldn't be a turnover machine especially with his improved footwork. Not to mention hopefully he'll have a better line blocking for him next season running game to rely on. I think it's well documented that should Bortles fix his mechanics and become accustomed to the NFL game he has the talent to be an upper echelon QB, and the offensive line has only exacerbated his deficiencies this season. But I think it says a lot about him that he doesn't look discouraged and never gives up...unlike a certain other QB we had here. And finally, Lee is really coming into his own these last few weeks. If Bortles doesn't overthrow a couple passes Lee could have easily had 100 yards in at least two out of the last 4 games. He's finally understanding the offense and is now just allowing his natural talent to take over and we're seeing a lot of wow plays out of him now that he has the chance.
Overall, this is probably the best draft class we've had since the turn of the century. Really great stuff.
I hear what you're saying about Telvin Smith but you act like CJ Mosley ain't out here on these football fields every Sunday. And people who say you shouldn't take linebackers high in the draft are crazy. They make more plays happen than a lil bit. Telvin is my number one rookie and I cant wait to see him play behind Leonard Williams and Sen'Derrick Marks next year.
