Tag: rookie class

Chiefs rookies learned a lesson from their first regular season loss: ‘You have to dig in’

Kansas City #Chiefs rookies learned a lesson from their first regular season loss: ‘You have to dig in’ | @EdEastonJr

The Kansas Chiefs won’t go undefeated this season, and for many in the organization, that was never the goal. Sunday’s loss to the Buffalo Bills highlighted some things to work on and served as a teachable moment for the rookies.

Chiefs head coach Andy Reid held his weekly Zoom press conference with reporters on Monday. He opened up about the lesson his rookie class will learn from the loss to the Bills.

“You have to dig in, man. These things – these should hurt. You spend a lot of time and preparation for these games and effort and so you have to reach inside as coaches and players, not just players here. You have to figure out the problems and then work to solve them.” said Reid. “I know I have that kind of locker room, so I know the guys will do that. I know the coaches will do that, too, but you can’t just say everything’s going to be okay. That’s not how this works. You have to dig in, and it has to be – there has to be some – you have to check the ego at the door and do some self-evaluation there.”

Sunday’s game marked rookie receiver Xavier Worthy’s first score since Week 8 against the Las Vegas Raiders. It marked the fourth receiving touchdown and sixth total touchdown of the season. Worthy tallied four catches for 61 yards and a touchdown, with his four receptions tied for a single-game career-high and his 61 yards as his second-highest single-game output this season.

Commanders’ Quinn offers encouraging words for two rookies

Dan Quinn praises a pair of rookies outside of Jayden Daniels and Mike Sainristil.

With the Commanders worn down in the final quarter against the Eagles, the media asked Dan Quinn on Monday if some of his rookies were ready to contribute and get more snaps.

He talked of tight end Ben Sinnott and linebacker Jordan Magee.

“He’s (Magee) certainly working hard at it, and he and [TE] Ben Sinnott are two that are absolutely putting it in. And the guys at the position are also performing well, ” Quinn offered.

Zach Ertz and John Bates have indeed looked good in recent games, which means that if Sinnott gets snaps, it will take them away from Ertz and Bates. Do you really want Quinn to do that right now, this season?

Even more true regarding Magee. From whom is he taking snaps, Bobby Wagner or Frankie Luvu?

“I tried to take Wags out in the Carolina game, he gave me a side eye for like two weeks after that. So, I do love the progress that Jordan’s making, and he is developing on special teams.”

Magee has seen the playing field on special teams since coming off of the injured reserve list .”So, I guess it was maybe in his second week, Jordan had a good tackle on a kickoff, and you could see the guys jumping off the sideline to go find them and congratulate him. So, that’s a good sign.”

Quinn chose to reveal Monday that Magee is not on the scout team in practice. No, Magee is getting some good reps in practice.

“He gets reps in practice, he gets reps into that space, not just on the carded scout team, but in the actual reps, as well. So, he’s making progress. And I would say we’re trending up with him and with Ben. I’d love to get them some more reps, and we’ll see by package and how does it work. But he’s definitely, I feel his speed and his tackling ability. I’m excited about Jordan.”

 

Chiefs HC Andy Reid discusses handling the rookie wall: ‘We try to manage that the best we can’

Kansas City #Chiefs head coach Andy Reid discusses handling the rookie wall: ‘We try to manage that the best we can’ | @EdEastonJr

Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid held his weekly Zoom press conference with reporters on Monday. He revealed his thoughts on dealing with the common rookie wall with this year’s class.

“Yeah, there is a rookie wall that the guys can hit at times. We try to manage that the best we can,” said Reid. “We’ve had pretty good success with it with the young guys where we can kind of get them through that phase, but the guys are – they’re working hard, they’re contributing in the games. Then, we’ll just – as the college season goes on, I’m always – you start getting around that bowl time in there, and guys – that’s when they go, ‘Oh jeez, we still have seven games left or six games left,’ and that’s kind of where you have to look at, but we try to do a good job of working them through all that.”

The Chiefs have had several rookies contribute this season on both sides of the ball. Carson Steele, Kingsley Suamataia, and Xavier Worthy have been featured throughout the season on offense. Christian Roland-Wallace and Jaden Hicks defensively had two crucial interceptions off San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy in Sunday’s victory.

Chiefs HC Andy Reid gives an assessment of rookie offensive tackle’s debut vs. Ravens

Kansas City #Chiefs HC Andy Reid gives an assessment of rookie OL Kingsley Suamataia’s debut vs. Baltimore #Ravens | @EdEastonJr

The Kansas City Chiefs are off to an ideal start to the regular season after defeating the Baltimore Ravens in Week 1. The stars played well, and several rookies made their official NFL debuts.

Chiefs head coach Andy Reid shared his thoughts on the Week 1 victory with reporters via Zoom on Monday. He also recapped the performance of rookie starting offensive tackle Kingsley Suamataia.

“So I thought Kingsley (Suamataia) did some good things, some he’ll have plenty to work on going forward, but for his first time jumping in there, I guess (against) what I really think is a pretty good defensive line now,” said Reid. “So I thought he held his own, but there are things he’s got to work on and needs to get. He’s got another big challenge coming up this week, as does our whole offensive line.”

Suamataia was penalized in Thursday’s victory, but he is quickly adjusting to life as the starting left tackle. The former BYU standout has the coaches’ belief and trust as he progresses in his rookie season.

WATCH: Commanders QB Jayden Daniels visits D.C. elementary school

Jayden Daniels plays pitch and catch with some young fans.

You knew it wouldn’t take long for Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels to become a fan favorite.

From the moment Daniels heard his name called on draft night last month and put on that Washington hat, fans have been buying his jerseys and watching every clip they can find on the 2023 Heisman Trophy winner.

This week, the Commanders took a break from Organized Training Activities (OTAs). They held a Day of Service led by Marjorie Harris, team president Jason Wright, several team legends, and the 2024 rookie class. This was Daniels’ first community event as a member of the Commanders, and it was no surprise that he was a hit.

Here’s Daniels meeting with some young fans at Rocketship Rise Academy Public Charter School in Washington, D.C., courtesy of Scott Abraham of ABC 7.

It was no surprise that the kids wanted to play catch with the city’s new superstar quarterback.

One more of Daniels throwing to some new fans.

The quarterback is always the hero in Washington. Unfortunately, fans have been waiting a long time for that quarterback. The hope is the Commanders have found their guy in Daniels.

Saints’ 2022 rookie class gets B-minus grade from NFL.com one year later

The Saints’ 2022 rookie draft class received a B-minus grade from NFL.com one year later, tying for best marks in the NFC South:

It’s tough to get a read on the New Orleans Saints’ rookie class a year later. Many of their 2022 draft picks missed large chunks of the season with injuries which makes them unknown quantities going into 2023.

But we found an even-keeled take from NFL.com’s Nick Shook, who credited the Saints for hitting big on Chris Olave (saying he “should have received more attention in the Offensive Rookie of the Year race than he did”) while getting solid production out of Alontae Taylor and Rashid Shaheed. It’s enough for the team to earn a B-minus grade despite having gotten no snaps out of their late-round picks D’Marco Jackson (due to injury) and Jordan Jackson (due to underwhelming practice reps).

And as Shook observed, a lot hinges on the Saints’ other first rounder, writing: “Injuries curtailed Trevor Penning’s rookie year, reducing him to a sixth-lineman role before making a start in the final game of the season. The Northern Iowa product needs more time on an NFL gridiron for proper evaluation.”

If Penning can stay healthy in 2023 and meet the high expectations the Saints have set for him, he can do a lot to singlehandedly raise the team’s draft grade. But that feels like a big “if” given the time he missed with foot injuries to start and end his season. He has a lot to prove.

One interesting wrinkle from Shook’s analysis is the consideration given to undrafted free agents, and that’s an area the Saints continue to do well. He pointed to Lewis Kidd as a competent backup along the offensive line, but the real diamond in the rough here is Rashid Shaheed, who totaled 1,058 all-purpose yards as a receiver, runner, and returner on special teams.

Elsewhere around the NFC South: the Atlanta Falcons were also graded a B-minus, while the Tampa Bay Buccaneers received a C-plus and the Carolina Panthers brought up the rear with a C-minus,

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Seahawks rookie class receives high marks in 2022 season grades

Following an impressive first year, the Seattle Seahawks rookies received high marks in Eric Edholm’s end-of-the-season grades.

The Seattle Seahawks rookie class came out on top in the NFC West rookie grades, receiving an A- from Eric Edholm of NFL.com.

“It’s not a stretch to say that the Seahawks might not have returned to the postseason without the contributions of their rookie class,” Edholm writes. “They received notable playing time from six first-year players — three on offense, three on defense — and replenished some of the depth issues that plagued Seattle down the stretch in recent seasons.”

Seattle selected two offensive tackles last April, Charles Cross and Abraham Lucas, who both earned starting roles in their first season. The Seahawks also picked up running back Kenneth Walker III, who actually received more first-place votes for Offensive Rookie of the Year than the winner Garrett Wilson.

The Seahawks rookies shined on the defensive side of the ball as well.

“Tariq Woolen and Coby Bryant might be the Seahawks’ starting corners for the next few years,” Edholm continued. “How Woolen fell to Round 5 is anyone’s guess, but he’s a Seattle-style corner if there ever was one, tying for the league lead in picks with six (one pick-six) and flashing outstanding playmaking ability. Bryant opened eyes with four forced fumbles and has the makings of a quality slot corner if he can clean up his tackling and tighten his coverage a shade.

“Boye Mafe brought energy as a subpackage rusher and figures to reprise that role — or even start — in 2023.”

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CBS Sports ranks Seahawks rookie class No. 2 in NFL behind only Jets

After an impressive 2022 campaign, the Seattle Seahawks rookie class earned second-place awards from CBS Sports, behind only the NY Jets.

Now that the Super Bowl is in the books, analysts around the league are busy with their final power rankings to assess to where teams stack up after the 2022 season. One of the more telling metrics is how each team’s rookie class performed in year one.

Chris Trapasso of CBS Sports ranked each club based on players who “hit” in their rookie seasons and the Seahawks’ class came in at No. 2 overall, behind only the Jets.

“The Seahawks wouldn’t have sniffed the postseason without stellar play from their rookie class,” Trapasso writes. “(Kenneth) Walker got the most first-place votes for Offensive Rookie of the Year, while (Abe) Lucas and (Charles) Cross were nasty blockers from Week 1 on.”

 

“Then there’s (Tariq) Woolen, an impossibly tall, fast cornerback who was supposed to be a long-term project,” Trapasso continues. “He wasn’t super-sticky in coverage late in the season yet hauled in six interceptions early.

“Impressive city.”

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Ravens GM Eric DeCosta optimistic about trajectory of team’s 2022 rookie class

Ravens general manager DeCosta discussed the performance and trajectory of the team’s 2022 rookie class

The Baltimore Ravens selected 11 players in the 2022 draft with high hopes that they could contribute both in the present and future. Baltimore general manager Eric DeCosta gave a lengthy explanation of his feelings on his 2022 rookie class in comments to the media during the team’s end-of-season press conference.

When asked for his impression of the work that Baltimore’s rookies put in this season, he did not hold back in his praise of the younger talent on the Ravens’ roster. He mentioned how he thought the team’s first-year players did well, and is excited for the potential of a second-year jump that has been seen many times throughout the organization.

“I think they did well. We’re excited about what these guys are going to do. It was a huge draft for us last year, and we had a lot of picks. We spent a lot of energy on that draft. There was a lot of anxiety, I know for me, just looking at players. There were so many players last year. I think those guys did well across the board, but we think they have a lot more to give, too. These guys are young players, and so, what we see often times is guys get a lot better, they come in here their second year, they’re in the offseason program, they learn, they understand what it means to be a pro, and they play a lot better. That’s what we expect, and that’s what we demand. And so, the fact that some of these guys played as well as they did this year, that is a good indication that they’re futures are very bright, and I think a lot of these guys have a chance to be good players. When we look at the 2018 Draft, I think eight or nine of those guys are starters now in the league. Looking at this draft, I’m not going to say that, but when we look at it, we think a lot of these guys have a lot of potential to play and be significant players for us at some point.”

For comparison, DeCosta pointed to Baltimore’s 2018 class as an example of a successful draft strategy that paid dividends for the Ravens over the course of time. Though he wouldn’t go so far as to say the most recent crop of new talent would exceed the 2018 class’ track record, DeCosta seems to think Baltimore’s young talent was built to last.

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Lions rookie class ranked 7th in most overall production

The Lions rookie class ranked 7th in most overall production in 2022 contributions, nearly all of it on defense

The 2022 Detroit Lions leaned heavily on GM Brad Holmes’ second rookie draft class to play key roles, especially on defense. And after some early bumps, the 2022 rookies made considerable contributions for a resurgent Detroit team that finished 8-2.

Along the way, the Lions set the NFL record for most sacks by a rookie class and also had the third-most interceptions.

ESPN, in conjunction with Football Outsiders and Sports Info Solutions, ranked the contributions of all 32 rookie draft classes for 2022. Detroit finished seventh overall in the rankings on the heels of Aidan Hutchinson, Kerby Joseph, Malcolm Rodriguez and the late-season blossoming of James Houston.

Here is ESPN’s explanation of the production criteria and judgment,

To rank the rookie classes, we started with Sports Info Solutions’ Total Points metric. Based on game charting, Total Points takes every element of a play and uses all of that data to evaluate each player on a scale that allows you to compare between positions: How many points do we estimate that this player either earned for his offense or saved for his defense?

Seattle took the top spot with a fantastic rookie class. Detroit’s finish at seventh instead of higher up stems from the relative lack of impact from the two offensive rookies, WR Jameson Williams and TE James Mitchell. Both Williams and Mitchell began the season rehabbing and recovering from torn ACLs in college and were brought along slowly by design and intent.

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