2006 NFL Rookie Report

by Armin Mohajeri

I will go on record and say that this was one of the strongest drafts of the free agent era. From Mario Williams all the way down to Marques Colston, this draft class offered a large amount of rookie contributions to their respective teams. I will break the 2006 Draft Class down to three aspects: 1) Top 10 Offensive & Defensive Rookies; 2) Top 3 Draft Classes by Team; 3) The PHSports All-Rookie Team

Top 10 Offensive Rookies:
1) QB Vince Young, Titans
2) WR Marques Colston, Saints
3) RB Maurice Drew-Jones, Jaguars
4) OT Marcus McNeill, Chargers
5) RB Joseph Addai, Colts
6) QB Matt Leinart, Cardinals
7) RB Reggie Bush, Saints
8) KR/PR Devin Hester, Bears
9) RB Laurence Maroney, Patriots
10) RB Jerrious Norwood, Falcons

Top 10 Defensive Rookies:
1) MLB DeMeco Ryans, Texans
2) OLB AJ Hawk, Packers
3) DE Mark Anderson, Bears
4) OLB Kamerion Wimbley, Browns
5) SS Donte Whitner, Bills
6) OLB Ernie Sims, Lions
7) DE Tamba Hali, Chiefs
8) FS Dawan Landry, Ravens
9) CB Richard Marshall, Panthers
10) OLB Thomas Howard, Raiders

Top 3 Rookie Squads (By Team):
1) Saints: WR Marques Colston, RB Reggie Bush, G Jahri Evans, SS Roman Harper, P Steve Weatherford
2) Jets: T D’Brickshaw Ferguson, C Nick Mangold, RB Leon Washington, S Eric Smith, CB Drew Coleman, WR/QB Brad Smith
3) Packers: LB AJ Hawk, WR Greg Jennings, G Daryn Colledge, G Jason Spitz, T Tony Moll, P Jon Ryan

2006 PHSports NFL All-Rookie Team:
QB: Vince Young, Titans – No other rookie had a bigger impact to his team than Vince Young. While Leinart had the higher QB rating (71.7 vs. 66.7), Young brought two aspects to the table the Leinart could not. First, there is the scrambling aspect. Young rushed for 552 yards and 7 TDs, making him a dangerous weapon on the ground that defenses had to include in their gameplan. Second, and most importantly, Young became the leader of the Titans franchise in his rookie year. He proved to be a winner, taking a franchise that looked to be headed towards a top 3 pick in the 2007 draft, and at times, single-handedly winning games for the team. He finished with 2,199 passing yards, 12 TDs and 13 INTs. (Backup: Matt Leinart, Cardinals)

RB: Maurice Drew-Jones, Jaguars & Joseph Addai, Colts – Maurice Drew-Jones was probably the lone bright spot on the Jags offense. He finished the season with 943 rushing yards at a 5.7 yards per carry average with 13 TDs. He also added 46 catches for 436 yards and 2 TDs. Joseph Addai contributed 1,095 rushing yards at a 5 yards per carry average with 7 TDs along with 40 receptions for 325 yards and 1 TD. Both are smaller, squattier backs who played bigger than they are. (Backups: Reggie Bush, Saints; Laurence Maroney, Patriots; Jerrious Norwood, Falcons)

WR: Marques Colston, Saints & Santonio Holmes, Steelers – In an overall weak year for wide receivers, the top performer came from the unlikeliest place -- only a handful of picks from being Mr. Irrelevant. Marques Colston came onto the scene and blew up to the tune of 70 catches for 1,038 yards and 8 TDs. He also missed some time due to injury. Santonio Holmes racked up 49 catches for 824 yards and 2 TDs. (Backups: Greg Jennings, Packers; Hank Baskett, Eagles)

TE: Owen Daniels, Texans – The draft looked strong at the tight end position before the season. Upon finishing, Owen Daniels had the best season, in what was a mediocre season for the position. With 34 receptions for 352 yards and 5 TDs, Daniels led all rookie tight ends in all three categories. (Backup: Tony Scheffler, Broncos)

C: Nick Mangold, Jets – Mangold started from day one, and we all saw the rewards reaped by Chad Pennington. Mangold proved that he will be a mainstay for years to come. (Backup: None)

G: Davin Joseph, Buccaneers & Jahri Evans, Saints – Joseph proved his value as a 1^st round draft pick with a solid year, teaming up with Dan Beunning to possibly be the best young guard tandem in the NFL. Jahri Evans was plugged into the Saints starting O-Line from the beginning, and paved the way for Deuce McAllister and Reggie Bush. (Backup: Daryn Colledge, Packers)

T: Marcus McNeill, Chargers & Ryan O’Callaghan, Patriots – Marcus McNeill has drawn praise from countless analysts. Great Blue North Draft Report had him rated as the #1 offensive rookie in 2006. He teamed up with Kris Dielman to form one of the best left sides of the offensive line in the league. League MVP LaDainian Tomlinson found comfort running off the left side. If it wasn’t for Marques Colston and Mark Anderson, O’Callaghan would be considered the steal of the draft. He played like a top right tackle in the league. (Backups: D’Brickshaw Ferguson, Jets; Andrew Whitworth, Bengals)

DT: Haloti Ngata, Ravens & Domato Peko, Bengals – Haloti Ngata doesn’t show a lot of stats, but his value is seen in the performers surrounding him. The Ravens had the #1 defense in the league, and it was due in no small part to Ngata, who plugged the middle and proved to be immovable all season. Domato Peko will be a long time rotational starter for the Bengals, if not a full-time starter. He had 43 tackles with 2.5 sacks. (Backups: Kedric Golston, Redskins; Barry Cofield, Giants)

DE: Mark Anderson, Bears & Kamerion Wimbley, Browns – Mark Anderson finished the season with 12 sacks. However, the most impressive part of that was that he was a situational pass rusher, playing a limited number of downs. He made the most of his opportunities. He was also able to add value to an already strong defense. Kamerion Wimbley played OLB in the 3-4, however he played more of a DE role in that defense. He notched 11 sacks on the season, and proved to be a mainstay of Crennel’s defense in Cleveland. (Backups: Tamba Hali, Chiefs; Elvis Dumervil, Broncos)

MLB: DeMeco Ryans, Texans – Ryans had the biggest impact of any rookie outside of Vince Young. Not only did he finish 2^nd in the league in tackles with 155, he was the unquestioned leader and captain of the Texans defense. He made all of the defensive calls. For his efforts, he was named Defensive Rookie of the Year. (Backup: D’Qwell Jackson, Browns)

OLB: AJ Hawk, Packers & Ernie Sims, Lions – AJ Hawk proved to be a key cog in the rebuilding of the Packers defense. He finished with 121 tackles, 5 sacks and 2 INTs. He had the 2^nd most impact by a defensive rookie on his team (behind Ryans). Ernie Sims put his small frame to great use for the Lions, notching 125 tackles. One of the lone bright spots for the Detroit front seven, he could be one of two players that doesn’t get shuffled around by the Lions this offseason. (Backups: Thomas Howard, Raiders; Clint Ingram, Jaguars)

CB: Richard Marshall, Panthers & Johnathan Joseph, Bengals – Richard Marshall was thrust into the starting position due to injuries. He responded by making 83 tackles, 3 INTs (one TD) and 12 pass breakups. Johnathan Joseph proved to be a valuable cover corner, chipping in 20 pass breakups. (Backups: Cedric Griffin, Vikings; Tye Hill, Rams)

S: Donte Whitner, Bills & Dawan Landry, Ravens – Whitner, the surprise pick of the 1^st round, had a fine season, finishing with 105 tackles and 4 pass breakups. Dawan Landry led all rookies in INTs with 5. He also chipped in 69 tackles for the #1 defense in the league. (Backups: Antoine Bethea, Colts; Danieal Manning, Bears)

Special Teams: KR/PR Devin Hester, Bears – Devin Hester made a case this year that Special Teams players must be considered in Rookie of the Year talk. He returned 6 kicks for TDs, and a missed field goal for 100+ yards and the score. He nearly single-handedly beat the Cardinals.