1. Sam Bradford (QB) – St. Louis Rams – Draft Position: #1
The Rams won one game last season. They have three wins from six games already this season, and it's got a lot to do with Bradford. He's not tearing through opposing defenses, but he's getting the job done. With progression throughout the year he should be able to lead the Rams to at least two or three more wins. One man who has to be delighted to have Bradford is Running Back Steven Jackson, who's actually seeing less guys in the box (last year when asked if he kept seeing eight guys in the box, he said, "eight? I see nine.") and is being given the space to have big games on the ground. Whilst Bradford's numbers aren't spectacular, two things have to be taken into perspective. One, he is a rookie, and two, he's throwing to arguably the worst receiving corps in the league due to injuries to Mark Clayton and Donnie Avery. Rookie Danario Alexander is likely to be Bradford's number one target for the remainder of the season.
2. Ndamukong Suh (DT) – Detroit Lions – Draft Position: #2
Suh currently leads the league in sacks by Defensive Tackles with four and a half. Though the Lions rank 28th in rush defense, they rank 19th in pass defense after being dead last in 2009. This is due to the arrivals of Suh and Kyle Vanden Bosch. Suh is blowing up interior Offensive Lines with twenty one combined tackles, four and a half sacks, and even an interception. Suh will be salivating for upcoming games against Buffalo and Chicago with their pitiful offensive lines.
3. Nate Allen (FS) – Philadelphia Eagles – Draft Position: #37
Although he won the starting job by default due to injury to free agent acquisition Marlin Jackson, Allen is proving he belongs in the starting lineup. Allen leads all rookies with three interceptions and all Free Safetys with nine passes defended. The Eagles pass defense has improved from 17th to 9th this season, all the while holding opposing Quarterbacks to an NFL worst 47.3 rating (per ESPN's stats and info blog), not bad for a secondary that has two other rookies getting plenty of playing time in Kurt Coleman and Trevard Lindley. I'm not saying Allen is the second coming of Brian Dawkins, but no Eagles rookie has had three picks since him in 1996.
4. Trent Williams (LT) – Washington Redskins – Draft Position: #4
Williams is playing up to his draft position so far in Washington. In his last game against the Colts and more importantly, Dwight Freeney, he kept Donovan McNabb upright with a clean uniform from start to finish. This isn't a knock on Freeney, who I still regard to be a top five pass-rusher, but a massive praise for Williams. Up next for Williams? The Bears' Julius Peppers.
5. Perrish Cox (CB) – Denver Broncos – Draft Position: #137
He might be playing alongside veterans Champ Bailey and Brian Dawkins, but Cox is proving his worth. He only has one interception, but his ten passes defended at this stage of the season is remarkable for any player. He's set to be targeted a lot due to the presence of the aforementioned veterans, but he's shown that he can manage the workload. The Broncos pass defense is worse this season, but this is most likely due to the injuries to the Defensive Line (Elvis Dumervil), the secondary (Brian Dawkins), and of course the changing of Defensive Co-ordinator (from Mike Nolan to Don Martindale).
6. Alterraun Verner (CB) – Tennessee Titans – Draft Position: #104
Verner is playing great, simply put. He has nine passes defended and two interceptions, and is playing like a veteran and nothing like a twenty-one year old coming out of UCLA. It will be interesting to see how Peyton Manning attacks him this season, what with the rest of the Titans defense playing well too.
7.Chris Ivory (RB) – New Orleans Saints – Draft Position: Undrafted
With Pierre Thomas and Reggie Bush out, the Saints running game has been left to Chris Ivory -- Tiffin University's finest, Ladell Betts and Julius Jones. Ivory has taken Thomas' role of the primary first and second down runner, and he has shined. Averaging 6.3 yards a carry, it will be hard for Saints coach Sean Payton to take him out of the lineup. When healthy, I see Ivory sharing carries with Thomas, and Bush reprising his third down role. Of course the flip side of the coin is that any back should produce good numbers when they have Drew Brees to support them, but Ivory has shown flashes of dominance.
8. Earl Thomas (FS) – Seattle Seahawks – Draft Position: #14
While the Seahawks pass defense is still struggling, giving up 290 yards per game, Thomas has been instrumental in being a right-place-right-time guy for Seattle. He has three interceptions and six passes defended, and should have a good next couple of weeks against Arizona's Max Hall and whoever Oakland throw under center. His biggest game so far was the Hawks 27-20 win over the Chargers, where he picked off Philip Rivers twice.
9. Jahvid Best (RB) – Detroit Lions – Draft Position: #30
Best has started okay in the run game, but has excelled in the passing game. His future looks to be as a Reggie Bush put-him-anywhere kind of player so far. He's averaging 3.2 yards per carry, which needs to be improved if he's going to keep getting a high amount of carries, but he has 31 receptions for 285 yards already this season. If he keeps it up, he's looking at catching 82 balls for 760 yards. I see him being more like Ray Rice than Bush however, but he'll have to bulk up from 199lbs to be able to play like Rice.
10. Mike Williams (WR) – Tampa Bay Buccaneers – Draft Position: #101
The fourth rounder out of Syracuse opened the season as the team's number one receiver, and he's done about as good as a rookie receiver can in the circumstances. He leads all rookie Wide Receivers in receptions (23), yards (283) and touchdowns (3). The only knock against him is he's fumbled twice.
11. Tony Moeaki (TE) – Kansas City Chiefs – Draft Position: #93
Moeaki's job is to replace Tony Gonzalez essentially, but no one is expecting him to play like him. So far, he's doing enough to hold down the starting job. In a running offense, he's managed eighteen receptions, 194 yards and 2 touchdowns, and in the process he's starting to become Matt Cassel's safety blanket.
12. Aaron Hernandez (TE) – New England Patriots – Draft Position: #113
He's outplaying fellow rookie Tight End Rob Gronkowski, who was drafted 71 places ahead of him, and has become the down field threat for the Patriots even before they traded away Randy Moss. He leads all rookies in receiving yards with 301, and is averaging 13.7 yards per catch (4th amongst all Tight Ends, minimum 15 receptions).
13. T.J. Ward (SS) – Cleveland Browns – Draft Position: #38
Despite playing on a bad defense, Ward has racked up 54 tackles, tied for eight in the NFL.
14. Russell Okung (OT) – Seattle Seahawks – Draft Position: #6
Okung has only started two games, but he's looked impressive so far. He shut down Julius Peppers this past Sunday, which is enough to make this list for sure.
15. Dexter McCluster (RB/WR/KR) – Kansas City Chiefs – Draft Position: #36
McCluster burst onto the scene in the Chiefs opening game against the Chargers, taking a punt 94 yards to the house. Since then, he's largely been used on third-down, catching 10 balls for 106 yards and 2 touchdowns.
Honourable Mention
Jermaine Gresham (TE) – Cincinnati Bengals – Draft Position: #21
The Bengals offense has struggled at times despite Carson Palmer having Cedric Benson, Chad Ochocinco and Terrell Owens at his disposal. Meanwhile, Gresham has excelled in the intermediate passing game. While Ochocinco and Owens are stretching the field, Palmer is getting short throws off to Gresham (7.2 yards per catch), making him an important piece to their offense.
On the Cusp: Danario Alexander, Eric Berry, Dez Bryant, Joe Haden, Marc Mariani, Colt McCoy, Koa Misi.
Five First Rounders Who Need to Improve
1. Kareem Jackson (CB) – Houston Texans
He may have 6 passes defended and an interception. But, c'mon man. The Texans are on pace for surely a record setting turgid pass defense. They're giving up 306 yards to opposing Quarterbacks, and twenty seven points per game. Jackson might be the only bright spark in their secondary, but he needs to shine brighter to have any sort of impact this season.
2. Ryan Mathews (RB) – San Diego Chargers
He leads all rookies with 282 yards, but he should have so much more. If he can stay healthy, he should pass the 1,000 yard mark.
3. Gerald McCoy (DT) – Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Bucs are 31st in run defense. McCoy needs to change that, starting with stopping the Rams' Steven Jackson this Sunday.
4. Devin McCourty (CB) – New England Patriots
The Patriots 29th ranked pass defense and their young secondary need to start producing. They began their progress this past Sunday, holding the Ravens to twenty points, and a banged up Chargers team should boost their spirits this week.
5. Kyle Wilson (CB) – New York Jets
Wilson's playing with All-Pro Darrelle Revis, and a good comeback player in Antonio Cromartie, so he's been targeted (and abused) regularly this season. Wilson needs to start playing a helluva lot better soon, especially if Revis' hammy continues to hinder his play.
Rookie Who Likely Has Chronic Depression
C.J. Spiller (RB) - Buffalo Bills
It's gonna be a tough few years for Spiller most likely. Playing for Buffalo isn't easy, especially when the rest of the AFC East is in a dogfight for the number one spot. At least he signed a big contract though.
Updated Awards Predictions
Offensive Rookie of the Year – Sam Bradford (QB) – St. Louis Rams
Defensive Rookie of the Year – Ndamukong Suh (DT) – Detroit Lions
Week 7 Picks
Browns @ Saints
Jaguars @ Chiefs
Redskins @ Bears
Steelers @ Dolphins
Bengals @ Falcons
Rams @ Buccaneers
Bills @ Ravens
49ers @ Panthers
Eagles @ Titans
Cardinals @ Seahawks
Raiders @ Broncos
Patriots @ Chargers
Vikings @ Packers
Giants @ Cowboys
Last week: 11-3
Overall: 61-29
And finally...
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