Photo Credit: Michael Perez/ AP Photo
With all of the good rookies in each draft, there are always rookies who we think are going to be good and end up making little impact. This year’s draft class was no exception and as many good rookies as there were, there were equally as many who failed to live up to their potential.
RB Melvin Gordon
The biggest disappointment of the draft has to be running back Melvin Gordon. Gordon was poised to have as big of a breakout year as Todd Gurley, but failed miserably. Gordon played in 14 games this season before being sidelined with an injury. Gordon ended the season with 184 carries for 641 yards, zero touchdowns, and four lost fumbles. Gordon’s poor ball security and the fact that he didn’t even make it into the end zone once, showed he was a complete dud. If the Chargers could have had a decent season, Gordon could have shined a little bit more, but overall his rookie season was one to forget.
WR Nelson Agholor
Another rookie who really had all eyes on him was Nelson Agholor. Agholor was drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles in the first round and was supposed to make an immediate impact. Agholor failed to live up to all of the hype, however, and only scored one touchdown. His first touchdown did not come until December and he only caught 23 of 44 targets for 283 receiving yards. Agholor could have had a pretty good chance of making an impact especially since Bradford was relatively new himself to Chip Kelly’s system and the two could have created a great bond as two first-years essentially. Agholor’s three-game absence due to an ankle injury didn’t do the rookie any favors either.
OL Cameron Erving
This might not come as a surprise, but the Cleveland Browns first-round pick Cameron Erving failed to help his team this season. While many may have assumed this spot would be Danny Shelton’s, Shelton actually showed improvement throughout the season. Erving only played in four games this season and failed to actually protect the quarterback. Erving’s failure to adapt to the NFL and to his new position clearly did not impress the Browns who benched him. Erving has to either improve or it looks like the Browns will be on their way to finding a new offensive guard. It seems like the Cleveland Browns wasted another first round pick again.
DE Randy Gregory
To finish out my list, I move to the defensive side of the ball. It seemed like the Dallas Cowboys got a steal when they picked up Randy Gregory in the 2nd round. However, now it looks like Gregory was not worth all of the hype before the draft. Gregory missed four games with an ankle injury and failed to actually produce anything in the 12 games he played. He only had 11 combined tackles, zero sacks, zero interceptions and only one stuff for a loss of only a yard. Even though the Cowboys used a second-round pick on Gregory, that even seems a little steep due to how much of a disappointment he was.
