How are those Rookies Doing? Mid-Season Edition

[CWood21]

3 minutes ago, jrry32 said:

I guess but not really unless things change greatly. He wouldn't be in the conversation, so I don't really see how removing Kareem Hunt changes anything. JMO.

On a per rush basis, Aaron Jones has been more effective than Leonard Fournette.  Obviously, you've got that usual small sample size concern, but that would probably change towards the end of the season where that gap isn't as noticeable.

[bananabucket]

1. Malik Hooker FS -- Played very well before getting put on IR.  I don't want to overstate things because he definitely wasn't perfect, but I'm pretty excited about his future.

2. Quincy Wilson CB -- More up than down when given the chance, but he hasn't been dressing for games lately because our idiotic coaching staff thinks suiting up some scrub for ST duties is more important than developing a young, promising rookie.

3. Tarell Basham EDGE -- Invisible until last week when he was forced into action due to John Simon being hurt.  Had his first sack and looked okay.  Disappointment so far for sure.

4. Zach Banner OT -- Cut in the preseason.  Hated the pick, hate it even more now.

4. Marlon Mack RB -- Most dynamic RB we've had in a long time.  Hard for him to get it going between the tackles behind this OL, but man is he dangerous in space.  Here's a shocker for you though: the coaching staff hasn't gotten him nearly enough touches.

4. Grover Stewart DL -- Honestly don't really know, haven't noticed him.  He was drafted as a project though so I'll give it time.

5. Nate Hairston CB -- Was not a fan of the pick, but he has proven me wrong so far.  Been quite successful as our nickel corner.

5. Anthony Walker ILB -- Injured off and on, lackluster play when healthy.

[jrry32]

12 minutes ago, CWood21 said:

On a per rush basis, Aaron Jones has been more effective than Leonard Fournette.  Obviously, you've got that usual small sample size concern, but that would probably change towards the end of the season where that gap isn't as noticeable.

Nobody cares about YPC when there's such a disparity in volume. Rod Smith is averaging 6.9 yards per carry, but obviously, nobody thinks he should be starting over Zeke.

At this point in the year, Aaron Jones is not in the same conversation as Fournette, Watson, and Hunt. Removing Hunt from that group doesn't change that.

[Forge]

49ers: 

Solomon Thomas: He's flashed a some, and there's other times where he is meeeeeeh. Part of the problem is that it's very obvious that he should be rushing from the interior, but Saleh has rarely done it so far. He sprained his MCL last week against the Eagles, so he will be out the next few weeks. He's already pretty stout against the run, and if we learn to have him attack the interior along with Buckner, there's some promise there. 

Ruben Foster: Umm...I mean in the 14 snaps he's played, he looked good. He started the game against Carolina in week 1 and looked like the real deal in the first couple of series, but obviously, that's a pretty small sample. Then he got hurt in that game, missed quite a few weeks, came back, and got hurt again....

Akhello Witherspoon: Bringing him along very slowly. He just started getting limited snaps about 3 weeks ago, looked okay. Got his first start against the Eagles last week, and he was actually pretty good. Had an interception and was also beat on the long Alshon touchdown pass. He had solid coverage, but misstimed his play on the ball, and it cost him. He's still very raw, so I expect more bad times before we get to the good ones, but he showed enough to bench and eventually trade Rashard Robinson. 

CJ Beathard: He's a gamer, I won't take that away from him. But he's not a starting quarterback in the NFL. He's shown some mobility I didn't know that he had, but he's horribly inaccurate and he doesn't put great zip on the ball. He always feels like a pick 6 waiting to happen. That being said, I do feel like he's the type of guy that may eventually develop into an okay backup quarterback.

Joe Williams: He looked like a natural runner with the ball in his hands during the preseason...the problem was keeping it there. The fumbles were so bad that he ended up on IR for the season after the last preseason game. I'm fairly certain we did this to avoid cutting him. Depending on what he does next year in TC and preseason, and what we do in the draft / free agency, I think that there's a shot that he's fighting for his roster spot next year. 

George Kittle: He's been plagued by drops some, and he's a made a couple of really nice catches. But I think he's going to be a good one moving forward so long as he continues to progress. I hope that we start utilizing him more downfield. 

Trent Taylor: He's already one of the better punt returners, I think, so that alone nearly makes the pick worth it. He's got really good hands, and he was getting a good amount of usage in the passing game, though it's really hard to judge giving our quarterback woes. I think that there is a receiver in there that can contribute in the receiving game. 

DJ Jones: He's a big body stuffer. Nothing special there - he's not going to rack up sacks or anything like that. Hasn't played a whole ton, but every now and again you'll see him out there. Little too early though. 

Pita Taumoepenu: Nothing so far. He's on the roster, but I don't know how many games he's been active on, and if he has been active, its strictly special teams related. 

Adrian Colbert: He made the roster, and due to injuries, is now getting playing time. Not expecting much, but you never know. 

*****

Undrafted guys: 

Matt Breida - won the running back 2 job out of camp and preseason, and at times, he's looked better than Hyde this year. He's a keeper. I'm not sure what the ceiling is, maybe just average running back, but for an UDFA, that's a win. 

Lorenzo Jerome - made the team out of preseason, but when pressed into action, he looked quite bad. Just slow. He was cut soon after and not re-signed to the PS, which was very surprising given that he made the roster outright initially. 

Eric Magnunson- Free agent offensive lineman. Made the roster, but was largely inactive. Last week against the Eagles, because of how decimated we got by injuries (lost both tackles in that game), he actually got pressed into action as the right tackle (he's a center/guard). He got ripped by Brandon Graham one play, but I don't know what we could have expected for an undrafted free agent playing out of position lol. 

Kendrick Bourne and Victor Bolden - both made the roster, and both have taken turns being active/inactive. Bourne has yet to catch a pass. Bolden has done some kick returning and been okay, don't believe that he has caught a pass of yet though. 

[animaltested]

1. Malik McDowell DL : Broke His Brain before the season 

2. Evan Pocic OL: Been floating around the line, got some playing time two weeks ago after a Britt injury, and started this week at the revolving door Right guard spot. Looking up? IDK.

3. Shaq Griffin DB : Has been the starter from day one. Has held his own, and played really well. Has gotten beat alot, but thats because this year has been a baptism by fire with QBs rarely throwing it to Sherms side (aside from the Texans game) and locking in on the left side. Looks to be the guy to lock down that CB2 spot. Could be a Maxwell/Browner/

3. Deleno Hill S :  Only plays special teams. He looked solid in pres-season. Poor mans Bam-Bam. Hard to get PT behind Earl, Kam, and McDoug.

3. Naz Jones DL : Dude balled in the preseason and is getting a decent amount of snaps within the rotation. Has a knack for for the big play. Has half a sack, 3 pass deflections, and an INT. He is a DT by the way. Important piece going forward in what has become a very thin DL. 

3. Amara Darboh WR : Has been sneaking into the game, and even has a few catches. Nothing really stands out (had a fantastic catch against the Giants), but realistically is about 8th on the depth chart with TE's and RB's in the mix as a well. Will probably be asked to step up next year if PRich get paid on the free market.

4. Tendric Thompson DB : Played not so well in pre-season, made the team. Doesnt see the field much. 

6. Mike Tyson DB : Barely saw the field in pres-season. PS

7. Justin Senior OL : MIA

7. Chris Carson RB : Was a beast. Starter as the season started. Playing really well, broke his ankle on a meaningless carry in a game out of reach. Such a shame. Stupid 49ers.

 

 

 

 

[RandyMossIsBoss]

7 hours ago, Chiefer said:

3)Kareem Hunt has been a MVP candidate, was averaging 100 yards from scrimmage a game untill the Broncos defense.

Grade:A+

Just to clarify, he's still averaging well over 100 yards from scrimmage per game, that game was just the first time in his career in which he didn't cross the mark... crazy.

 

Grade is relative to when they were selected...

 

Eagles

1) DE Derek Barnett: For a guy taken in the mid round 1st largely for his polish, Barnett has not been as effective as I'd hoped. He's merely been an average DE thus far. However he's shown flashes of being the stud you'd expect out of your 1st rounder, and is still an integral part of a 7-1 team's DL rotation.

Grade: B-

 

2) CB Sidney Jones: Out for the year from pre-draft injury.

Grade: N/A

 

3) CB Rasul Douglas: Has played in well over half of the Eagles defensive snaps this season and started several games. Has been serviceable, but he's clearly a raw player with a lot to work on. Overall probably a below average corner, but there is often a large learning curve for corners and Rasul was assumed to be a project so to see him contributing on the field in any way has been nice to see.

Grade: B

 

4) WR Mack Hollins: Another expected project, he already seems ahead of the curve. Has provided some big plays and is a nice 3rd/4th option at WR. Has only played ~15% of snaps but has racked up 165 yards on just 8 catches.

Grade: B+

 

4) RB Donnell Pumphrey: Just barley made the final 53 after a pretty awful preseason, and would probably be on the practice squad if the Eagles weren't able to place him on IR. Way too small to be a runner in this league, I don't see it happening even as a change of pace back. He's gong to have to learn to play WR or develop into a return ace, otherwise he'll be out of this league.

Grade: F

 

5) WR Shelton Gibson: Had a very poor camp, couldn't catch the ball. Stashed on the 53 man as a project at this point. Has great speed but it looks doubtful he'll put it all together.

Grade: D

 

5) LB Nate Gerry: Did not make our initial 53 but was promoted from the practice squad after Hicks went down. A converted safety, he's a still too small to play LB but has good speed and coverage ability. His future is likely as a ST guy.

Grade: D+

 

6) DT Elijah Qualls: Made the cut and has gotten some burn, with about 50 snaps under his belt. He's a big bodied space eater type of guy and we've already got Beau Allen to fill that role so his lack of playing time is not surprising but there's definitely promise.

Grade: B

 

[tab]

Texans

 

Deshaun Watson

 

Zach Cunningham- He's been really great filling in for Cushing. A

Donta Foreman- looks good but still learning. B

Carlos Watkins- Lots of Promise B

The rest of them are more like projects at the moment

 

[LinderFournette]

8 hours ago, CWood21 said:

On a per rush basis, Aaron Jones has been more effective than Leonard Fournette.  Obviously, you've got that usual small sample size concern, but that would probably change towards the end of the season where that gap isn't as noticeable.

To be fair to Fournette hes consistently battling loaded boxs and is always making yards and rarely losing them. 

[MookieMonstah]

12 hours ago, Counselor said:

 

It's a good class

Its insanity. This is the type of draft class that puts a team back on the playoff map for a good stretch. Shame they didn't have a draft like this 2-3 years ago though, as Brees seems to only have a few seasons left.

[RamRod]

9 hours ago, animaltested said:

7. Chris Carson RB : Was a beast. Starter as the season started. Playing really well, broke his ankle on a meaningless carry in a game out of reach. Such a shame. Stupid 49ers.

Wasn't it the Colts game he got injured in?

[Pugger]

11 hours ago, CWood21 said:

On a per rush basis, Aaron Jones has been more effective than Leonard Fournette.  Obviously, you've got that usual small sample size concern, but that would probably change towards the end of the season where that gap isn't as noticeable.

Some may not be happy with TT as our GM right now but you can't say he hasn't been able to find gems like Jones in the later rounds over the years.

[sammymvpknight]

Looking back at my notes I had Aaron Jones rated as my #7 rookie RB behind the obvious six. I’m not surprised at all to see how well he’s played for the Packers. He’s not going anywhere. It wouldn’t surprise me if he matched any of the rookie RBs stats the second half of the season. 

[Dome]

On 11/1/2017 at 3:58 PM, Counselor said:

That Saints draft class though...

Yeah if these guys are the real deal and not just flashes in the pan, the Saints should be able to build off this class for a while. Lattimore might be the best CB in the league already, obviously consistency will decide if he's viewed that way down the stretch, but I don't think anyone can put his level of play so far this year anywhere other than the top tier with guys like prime Talib, Rhodes, Peterson, Sherman, Norman.

I don't use the word elite often at all, I think it's overused. Lattimore's play has been elite through the first (almost) half of his rookie season. 

Ramy played at both LT and RT while splitting reps in practice and looked average at worst at both positions. He's getting better each week, should be a fantastic tackle tandem is Armstead could stay healthy for more than 15 minutes at a time. 

Kamara looks like he might be the Saints best offensive weapon of all time when it's said and done. Incredibly versatile back and clearly dangerous as a receiver as well. I wanted McCaffrey soooooo bad in Sean Payton's offense. Kamara is playing better than I had expected McCaffrey to play had we landed him in the draft.

WIlliams has been covering the middle well. He's what Byrd was supposed to be for us. Minus prime Byrd's playmaking ability, that is.

Anzalone looked pretty good. Made a lot of rookie mistakes but also made a handful of plays you wouldn't expect a rookie LBer to make. He was a WIP but a very hopeful one, until he got hurt.

[celestial]

21 hours ago, CWood21 said:

On a per rush basis, Aaron Jones has been more effective than Leonard Fournette.  Obviously, you've got that usual small sample size concern, but that would probably change towards the end of the season where that gap isn't as noticeable.

Aaron Jones is a very good back. I see distinctive running style in him and his running style bears out so far. The Saints knew GB would run and couldn't stop Jones from going 5+ YPA. That's unsustainable, of course, but Aaron Jones may be a diamond in the rough.

[animaltested]

15 hours ago, RamRod said:

Wasn't it the Colts game he got injured in?

Opps. Yep. Guess I felt like finding something to blame on the 9ers.