Having taken a look at the entire season, it now appears as if the 2010 draft was as strong as it has been in years. There were a number of significant contributors this year for a large number of teams. Today, we will talk about our Offensive All-Rookie team and Offensive Rookie of the Year. Tomorrow, we’ll look at the Defense.
Quarterback: Sam Bradford – St. Louis
Without question, Sam Bradford earns the All-Rookie quarterback slot. He started and played every play for the St Louis Rams offense. My only concern about Bradford’s play was he seemed to tail off the last four games of the season. He had a chance to lead his team to a playoff berth with a win at Seattle on Sunday but played probably his worst game. Still, when looking at the whole season, he put up some very good numbers. His numbers are better than some of the great quarterbacks in history in their rookie years — players like John Elway, Troy Aikman and Peyton Manning. He finished the season with 590 attempts, 354 completions for 3,512 yards, 18 touchdowns and 15 interceptions. If he can improve on his first year like Aikman, Elway and Manning did, then the Rams are on their way to bigger and better things.
Wide Receivers: Mike Williams – Tampa Bay, Dez Bryant – Dallas
ICONTampa Bay WR Mike Williams
Mike Williams became Tampa Bay’s go-to receiver very early in his rookie year. He played consistently all season and came up with big plays week after week. He finished the year with 65 catches for 964 yards and 11 touchdowns.
Dez Bryant started a bit slowly but really came on before he was sidelined with an injury with four games to go. Playing in only 12 games he caught 45 passes for 561 yards and 6 touchdowns. He also was an excellent returner with 2 touchdowns.
Slot Receiver: Jordan Shipley – Cincinnati
This was a tough call because Jacoby Ford of the Raiders had a strong second half of the season but the most consistent and productive player for the whole season was Shipley. He finished the year with 52 catches for 600 yards and 2 touchdowns. He may not have the natural skill set of some receivers but he is a tough kid who runs great routes and has excellent hands.
Tight End: Rob Gronkowski – New England
This was another tough call because there were so many good rookie tight ends. Jermaine Gresham of the Bengals had 53 catches but I felt he was just an average blocker. Tony Moeaki of Kansas City is a complete tight end with athleticism, pass catching skills and blocking ability. But the most complete tight end to come into the league in years is Gronkowski. Like Dez Bryant, he started a little slowly but has become a focal point of the Patriots offense the last half of the season. He is an excellent blocker and a very good receiver. He finished with 42 catches for 546 yards but his best stat is 10 touchdowns. The big-play ability is what gave him the nod.
Running Backs: LeGarrette Blount – Tampa Bay, Chris Ivory – New Orleans
Picking LeGarrette Bount as one of the running backs was easy, as he ran for over 1,000 yards (in just 13 games) and caught 5 passes. He averaged 5 yards per carry and that is tough to do in today’s NFL. He got stronger as the year went on and ran for over 100 yards in three of Tampa’s last five games. He’s big, fast and powerful. The best part is that he was a college free agent because of his own misdeeds while at Oregon. That says something about him because he has been able to overcome adversity. The question I have is how did Tennessee cut this guy? The Titans signed him as a college free agent and he had a strong preseason. The Titans’ loss is the Bucs’ gain.
Picking the second All-Rookie back was hard. It was down to Chris Ivory of New Orleans and Ryan Mathews of San Diego. Mathews was a first-round pick and was expected to be productive — and he was. But he had to play in a rotation with Mike Tolbert and Darren Sproles. When it got to crunch time he was not always the back in the game. On the other hand, Ivory was another undrafted free agent and wasn’t expected to do anything. When injuries affected the play of Reggie Bush and Pierre Thomas, Ivory had to carry the load and he did a great job. He ran for 716 yards and 5 touchdowns. Like Blount he averaged better than 5 yards per carry, and in my mind that is huge.
Offensive Line: Maurkice Pouncey – Pittsburgh, Rodger Saffold – St. Louis, Jared Veldheer – Oakland, Mike Iupati – San Francisco, Russell Okung – Seattle
ICONSeattle OL Russell Okung
As a rookie, Pouncey has become a leader of the Steelers offensive line. He was voted to the Pro Bowl and is already one of the best centers in the game. Enough said.
Saffold was drafted to play right tackle and ended up at his natural left side and played very consistent football all year. He should become one of the better tackles in the game.
Veldheer played right tackle, center and left tackle for the Raiders. He started the last three quarters of the season at left tackle and also played very consistent football. He played at a Division II school, so to come in and play as well as he did as a rookie is no small accomplishment.
Iupati started all season at left guard for the 49ers. He was a tackle in college and did a great job making the transition. The 49ers have a young but very talented line and it bodes well for their future.
Okung had to play through ankle injuries most of the season. He missed about 6 games but when he was able to play he played very well. The highlight of his season was outplaying perennial All-Pro Julius Peppers when the Seahawks defeated the Bears in Chicago.
Returner: Marc Mariani – Tennessee
Mariani was the Titans 7th-round choice and established himself as the return man very early. He had a great year, averaging 25.5 yards on kickoff returns and 12.2 yards on punt returns. He returned 1 kickoff and 1 punt for touchdowns. Getting voted to the Pro Bowl was icing on the cake.
Offensive Rookie of the Year: Maurkice Pouncey – Pittsburgh
Many in the mainstream media will have Sam Bradford as offensive rookie of the year. He had a great year at a high-profile position and should become a very good NFL quarterback. Maurkice Pouncey, on the other hand, has quickly become one of the best centers in the game. He is the leader of the Pittsburgh offensive line and a Pro Bowler. That is one huge accomplishment for a rookie and that earns him the National Football Post Offensive Rookie of the Year award.