The top three picks in the most recent NFL draft are all expected to make a major impact in 2018,
assuming of course Mayfield (Cleveland) and Darnold (Jets) earn the starting
jobs.But often it’s the unheralded rookies that can make a real
difference.Recent examples are the Cowboys’ Dak Prescott (fourth-rounder in
2016) and the Saints’ Alvin Kamara (third-rounder in 2017). Both paid
Mike Webster Color Rush Jersey major
dividends and won Offensive Rookie of the Year.Here are a few under-the-radar
rookies to look for in the 2018 season:DUKE DAWSON, PATRIOTSNew England grabbed
the Florida cornerback late in the second round to possibly fill the spot left
by Malcolm Butler, who inexplicably missed virtually the entire Super Bowl loss
to the Eagles as Nick Foles had 373 yards passing and threw for three touchdowns
(and caught a memorable one) on his way to being the MVP.Butler signed with the
Titans in the offseason, and Dawson could see significant playing time — if he
can grasp Bill Belichick’s defense.Dawson led the Gators with four interceptions
last season. Would it surprise anyone if he made a key interception in a big
game for New England?MASON RUDOLPH, STEELERSPittsburgh traded up to select
Rudolph with the 76th overall pick, the highest the organization has taken a
quarterback since making Ben Roethlisberger the 11th overall selection in
2004.In a radio appearance shortly after the draft, Roethlisberger expressed
surprise, asking why Pittsburgh used a third-round pick on a quarterback when
there were players at other positions who could make a more immediate
impact.Rudolph’s main competition to win the backup job to the 36-year-old
Roethlisberger is Oklahoma’s Landry Jones.“We valued (Rudolph) as much as the
rest of the quarterbacks that were drafted (in the first round),” Steelers GM
Kevin Colbert said after the selection.MAURICE HURST, RAIDERSNew Oakland
defensive coordinator Paul Guenther will make use of the fifth-rounder from
Michigan, who was taken to help bolster what has been a struggling pass
rush.Hurst had 5 sacks as an interior rusher. He slipped to the fifth round
because of concern over a heart condition that got him sent home from the NFL
combine.Hurst said it was something he has dealt with for a long time and hadn’t
impacted him on the field. He said he has been cleared by doctors at Harvard and
Michigan, but that didn’t prevent every team passing on a player projected as a
first-round talent until the Raiders got him at 140th overall.If his health
issues subside, Hurst can team with star Khalil Mack to help fix a defense that
has been a sore spot.HAROLD LANDRY, TITANSThe Titans had only four draft picks
and took the Boston College linebacker in the second round.New head coach Mike
Vrabel, a big-play linebacker in New England, and new coordinator Dean Pees are
looking to get younger in the heart of the defense; veterans Brian Orakpo and
Derrick Morgan are heading into the final year of their contracts. Landry ranked
second in school history with 26 sacks and second with 47 tackles for
loss.Landry was rated as a potential first-rounder before being shut down with
an ankle injury during his last year in college.“We felt like we got a
first-round-caliber player that for whatever reason slipped into the second
round,” general manager Jon Robinson said during the draft.ROYCE FREEMAN,
BRONCOSAfter a 5-11 season and a last-place finish in the AFC West, the Broncos
retooled and added Freeman in the third round from Oregon. He could make an
immediate impact in a backfield that lacks a runner who has ever had a 100-yard
game in the NFL.General manager John Elway said in April he’s a “big banger that
we haven’t had for a while.”Freeman played all four seasons with the Ducks and
had a Pac-12-record 60 touchdowns as part of a big workload with 947 carries.“It
is not often you get backs playing as many games or taking as many carries,”
Freeman said during OTAs. “I feel like the fact that I was able to do so proves
I am a durable running back.”DANTE PETTIS
https://www.steelerssportshop.com/Jack-Lambert-Jersey , 49ERSWith quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo signed to a long-term deal, the 49ers
needed to upgrade the offense and took the wide receiver in the second
round.Pettis caught 63 passes for 761 yards and seven TDs last season for
Washington. He has experience playing outside and in the slot and provides
another deep threat in coach Kyle Shanahan’s offense for Garoppolo.Pettis set an
NCAA record with nine punt returns for touchdowns, averaging 14.2 yards on 90
returns at Washington.He is the son of former major league baseball player Gary
Pettis and the cousin of former NFL receiver Austin Pettis. Gary Pettis is the
third base coach for the World Series champion Houston Astros. The ball came
floating down and James Washington appeared out of position. The back of the end
zone was behind him. Green Bay defensive back Demetri Goodson was in front of
him. The window Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Josh Dobbs had to fit the ball
to the rookie wide receiver didn’t really exist.So Washington created one.The
pass slightly underthrown, Washington reached over Goodson and plucked it out of
the air for a 19-yard touchdown in the third quarter. The second-round pick did
it again in the fourth period, outmuscling Packers cornerback Herb Waters for a
22-yard score to help Pittsburgh save a little bit of face in an otherwise drab
preseason loss.While some of Washington’s teammates erupted on the sideline
after each acrobatic grab, one of them did not.“It wasn’t a surprise to me at
all, I had seen it for four years,” said rookie quarterback Mason Rudolph, who
set records throwing the ball all over the field to Washington during their
standout college careers at Oklahoma State. “All these guys kind of ‘ooohed’ and
‘ahhhed’ at it but … I think he’s just scratching the surface of what he can
do.”Washington hopes to take another step forward Saturday when he is expected
to get some reps with the first team as the Steelers host Tennessee. The
22-year-old understands it will take time for him to develop a rapport with Ben
Roethlisberger after spending so many years catching passes from Rudolph.
Washington has tried to absorb as much as he can since the Steelers took him
with the 60th overall pick in the draft. His route running remains a work in
progress. His grasp of the offense remains in its infancy. Yet the signs he’s
starting to get it are there. Now it’s time to show Roethlisberger he can do it
when it counts.“With Ben, you have to know the defense,” Washington said. “You
have to be watching while running your routes. With me and Mason you know, we’re
taught, ‘Ok the ball is supposed to go here, it’s supposed to go here.’ With
Ben, he’s a Hall of Famer. He knows spots where he can sneak it in and throw you
a back shoulder. You have to be ready with him.”And defenses might be wise to be
ready for Washington, who figures to be in the third wide receiver slot behind
All-Pro Antonio Brown and JuJu Smith-Schuster when the AFC North champions open
the 2018 season in Cleveland on Sept. 9.“He’s raw, but the kid can catch,”
veteran wide receiver Darrius Heyward-Bey said. “He has a range that only a few
people I’ve seen have. You throw it up, he’s got a great vertical, but it’s his
ability to go get the ball that’s amazing.”Having a frame Rudolph likened to a
“bowling ball” helps. Washington is a thick 215 pounds, making it difficult for
defensive backs to nudge him off his stride. It gets even harder when Washington
unleashes his 39-inch vertical leap. The proof came during training camp at
Saint Vincent College
Jack Ham Jersey , when Washington found himself lining up across from two-time Pro Bowl defensive back Joe Haden.Haden normally prefers to work
against the starters during camp but couldn’t turn down a chance to face off
against Washington.“Once I see him making plays on other guys, it’s like ‘Let me
see what you can do,'” Haden said. “In Latrobe he got me in the end zone. Jumped
up and got his hands on the ball the whole time and I couldn’t get it. So he’s
just making really good plays. I was like, ‘If you can make that on me, I think
you’re going to be good.'”Asked if Washington chirped at him after the grab,
Haden just laughed.“No, he never said a thing,” Haden said. “I’ve been around a
lot of rookies that don’t act like that and aren’t as good (as he is).”Talking
has never really been Washington’s thing. Consider it a byproduct of having to
play with older kids while growing up in Texas. At the park across the street
from his parent’s house, Washington would find himself running around with
cousins five or six years his senior. The only way to gain respect was to go out
and earn it.“I was always I guess pushed to an extent where I had to go hard,”
Washington said.He plays with an intensity that helped him win the Biletnikoff
Award last year as the top wide receiver in college football. His quiet demeanor
fits in well in a wide receiver’s room that includes the cerebral Heyward-Bey,
the relentless Brown, and the ebullient Smith-Schuster. Washington is only too
happy to be a sponge, absorbing what he can while proving he belongs.“I think
they’ve accepted my role and what I do,” Washington said. “We joke around every
once in a while. Like I told him: Don’t expect me to be the guy yelling, just do
my job.”NOTES: The Steelers signed inside linebacker Vince Williams to a
four-year contract on Thursday that will run through the 2021 season. Williams,
a sixth-round pick in the 2013 draft, finished with a career-high eight sacks in
2017. … Pittsburgh also signed Pro Bowl kicker Chris Boswell to a five-year deal
that runs through 2022. … Coach Mike Tomlin said all healthy starters will see
action against the Titans, though Brown, safety Morgan Burnett and linebacker
T.J. Watt‘s status won’t be certain until game time.
