Quote:Rookie DEs rarely do well. It seems fans expectations were a bit too high. 

 

There are a handful of edge players who play well as rookies, Khalil Mack (despite not racking up sacks) was consistently disruptive as a rookie, that disruption translated to "sacks" as a sophomore. Danielle Hunter (3rd round pick for the Vikings last year) was a force off the edge in obvious passing situations, he's primed for a big year this season. Preston Smith (2nd round pick of the Redskins in 2015) was also productive, racking up 8 sacks. Edge players that play well as rookies all usually have one thing in common, the ability to bend the edge, that rare ability is nearly impossible for a offensive tackle to defend, its what separates the good pass rushers from the great ones. Edge rushers who don't possess the god given ability of elite "bend" take a little longer to develop, Olivier Vernon wasn't an impact player until he learned to use his hands, Fowler is in a similar situation.

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