Photo Credit: Tony Avelar/Associated Press
Another NFL season is about to begin and another crop of rookies have descended on the league. The 2015 NFL Draft Class had a lot of talented rookies, some are still works in progress, while others were downright terrible but for this article, I’ll be focusing on the group of talented ones. These four rookies exceeded all expectations and it looks like 2016 could be another great year for them.
Los Angeles Rams RB Todd Gurley: Todd Gurley’s NFL career started as more of a stumble. The running back missed the first three games of the season, but that didn’t stop him from being a top back in the league. He rushed for over 1,000 yards and scored ten touchdowns. More impressively, he also played receiver for a few games with 21 receptions. Gurley basically became a human highlight reel and seemed to break the stigma of regretting the decision to draft a running back in the first round. The Rams benefitted greatly from Gurley and will continue to do so this season. Even with the move to Los Angeles, all of the changes shouldn’t affect Gurley’s game.
Oakland Raiders WR Amari Cooper: Amari Cooper quickly became Derek Carr’s go-to target. He appeared in every single game last season and ended the season with over 1,000 receiving yards. Even though he only scored six touchdowns, Cooper still made a huge impact in the Raiders’ offense, averaging almost 15 yards per reception. Cooper is already looking forward to the upcoming season as he reported to training camp early which is a great sign from a young player. His dedication to the team and his hard work on and off the field should fair well for the Raiders, their fans, and fantasy football owners all over.
Kansas City Chiefs CB Marcus Peters: You know you’re good as a rookie when you make the NFL’s Top 100 players of 2015 and Peters did just that. He finished the season with 60 combined tackles, eight interceptions, and one forced fumble; not to mention the two interceptions he returned for touchdowns. If that wasn’t enough, he intercepted Peyton Manning and won the NFL’s Defensive Rookie Of The Year Award. Peters became a huge part of the Kansas City Chiefs defense and without him, they might not have made it to the playoffs. Peters is so dangerous on the field that this season, he’ll continue to show no mercy.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers QB Jameis Winston: The final rookie to make my list is Jameis Winston. Winston was drafted number one overall in 2015 and ended his rookie season with a Pro Bowl selection. Winston appeared in every single game last season and threw 22 touchdowns to 15 interceptions as well as rushed for six touchdowns. As a rookie, those are pretty decent stats and he almost threw for 5,000 yards. One really big plus size for Winston this year is that during the offseason, he was committed to losing weight. Losing weight is definitely going to allow Winston to become more mobile and keep defenses on their toes.  Even though the Panthers are the reigning champs, Winston might be able to give them a run for their money.
