Sam Bradford, St. Louis Rams – It’s now official that Bradford will be the starting quarterback. There’s a reason he was taken first overall- he’s that good. Bradford has the look great in his last two preseason games, completing 21 of 28 passes, including three touchdowns. The Rams will primarily be a running team as long as Steven Jackson remains healthy, but Bradford gives them a passing game that they have been lacking the past few seasons.
Ryan Mathews, San Diego Chargers- Mathews, drafted 14th overall, will be the featured back on one of the league’s top offenses. Mathews looked solid in preseason games, averaging 4.3 yards per carry. Mathews is expected to run the ball 250-300 times, and don’t be surprised if he puts up similar numbers to those that Chris Johnson or Matt Forte put up in 2008. Mathews has the talent and opportunity to be this year’s top offensive rookie.
Ndamukong Suh, Detroit Lions – Suh was a monster in college and is expected to be in the NFL. Suh will look to help a revamped Lions defense bring some respect back to Detroit football. At 6’4 and 300 pounds, Suh is the type of player that opponents will have to plan their game around. Having Kyle Vanden Bosch on the line will also help take some of the pressure off, and give more opportunities for Suh to chase down the quarterback.
Jahvid Best, Detroit Lions- Another rookie for Lions fans to be excited about. Best might have to split some time with Kevin Smith, but everything points to this youngster having an excellent season. He only ran the ball 15 times during the preseason, but made the most of them by rushing for 129 yards. Best will also benefit from defenses primarily focusing on Matthew Stafford, Calvin Johnson and the rest of the passing game.
Rolando McClain, Oakland Raiders- Everyone was surprised when Oakland selected the linebacker out of Alabama, but not in the same sense when Oakland took Darrius Heyward-Bey the year before. The surprise here is because this pick seems safe. McClain was the best linebacker in the draft and has the potential to be one the league’s elite. If everything goes right, McClain could top 100 tackles for the season.
C.J. Spiller, Buffalo Bills – Spiller showed in the preseason why he was deserving of Buffalo’s top-10 pick, even though they had other areas of need which could have been addressed. In Spiller’s three preseason games, he averaged 4.7 yard per carry and had three touchdowns. Even with one of the league’s worst offensive lines and the fact that Spiller might lose some carries to other backs, expect the rookie out of Clemson to top 1,000 yards rushing.
Mike Williams, Tampa Bay Buccaneers – Despite being taken in the fourth round, Williams is the only rookie starting the season as his team’s number one wide receiver. In three preseason games, Williams caught seven passes for 157 yards. He should get plenty of targets from young quarterback Josh Freeman, and expect a few deep plays from Williams, as three of his preseason catches went for more than 20 yards.
Eric Berry, Kansas City Chiefs- You know he has to have talent since he was the first safety taken in the top-five since 1991. In 39 career games at Tennessee, Berry had 14 interceptions and 245 tackles. Berry also has the ability to score if he gets the ball, totaling three touchdowns in his collegiate career. Berry has been compared to Ed Reed and has the talent to be one of the league’s best strong safeties.
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