Tag: rookie rankings

Where ESPN ranked production from Colts’ rookie class

The Colts’ 2022 rookie class did not impress ESPN all that much.

The Indianapolis Colts got some decent production from a handful of players within the 2022 rookie class, but ESPN felt it wasn’t sufficient enough to be ranked in the top half of the league.

In fact, ESPN ranked the production of each NFL team’s rookie class, and the Colts came in at No. 21 overall. We also gave end-of-season grades for the rookie class following their first campaign.

Here’s what they said about the 2022 class for the Colts:

“21. Indianapolis Colts

Before the season, nobody would have expected seventh-round pick Rodney Thomas II to be the Colts’ most valuable rookie of 2022. However, the former linebacker grabbed the free safety position early in the season, eventually starting 10 games and garnering four interceptions. Bernhard Raimann started 11 games at left tackle, finishing 40th in RBWR but a poor 60th in PBWR. Wide receiver Alec Pierce started 12 games and finished with 41 catches for 593 yards and two touchdowns. Tight end Jelani Woods came on late in the season with 18 catches for 233 yards just in the Colts’ final six games.”

Pierce had a solid rookie season. It was a bit inconsistent, but he showed the necessary flashes of being an impact player on the boundary. Raimann showed a lot of progress down the stretch while Woods was electric every time he touched the football—he just didn’t play enough.

The big surprise, of course, was Thomas. The safety out of Yale took over a starting role early in the season and didn’t look back. His four interceptions as a rookie are the most for a seventh-round pick since 1986 (Bret Clark) and the most for a player drafted No. 200 overall or later since 1992 (Darren Perry)—the draft still had 12 rounds back then.

Two rookies we shouldn’t overlook weren’t drafted, but they still held impactful roles. Cornerback Dallis Flowers out of Pittsburg State led the NFL in yards per kick return (31.1) and was the only qualified player to average over 30 yards per return. He also saw some work on defense late in the season.

Also, linebacker JoJo Domann immediately became a special teams contributor. His 58.2% snap share on special teams was tied for the third-highest on the team with Grant Stuard while his eight special teams stops were also tied for the third-most with E.J. Speed.

The class wasn’t all roses, though. Safety Nick Cross was a highly-valued third-round pick. He began the season as the starter but played six total defensive snaps after Week 2. He was a healthy scratch for the meaningless Week 18 game.

Sixth-round defensive tackle Curtis Brooks out of Cincinnati didn’t play in a regular-season game and was released from the practice squad midseason. He was the first draft pick from the class to part ways with the team.

Fellow sixth-round tight end Andrew Ogletree was catching fire in training camp before tearing his ACL during joint practices with the Detroit Lions. That’s necessarily his fault, of course, but he did miss his entire rookie campaign.

It was a pretty average class overall, but there certainly are some building blocks at some key positions. That should help whoever the next head coach is when it comes to roster building.

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Fantasy football rookie dynasty rankings for the 2022 draft class

It’s Breece Hall and then everyone else. Check out our rookie dynasty rankings for fantasy football.

The 2022 NFL draft is over, which means fantasy football managers will begin preparations for their upcoming drafts.

While there is still a lot of time before the redraft ones take place, those in dynasty leagues are already going through their rookie-only drafts. Doing so now might be a bit early, but it’s a nice little segway into preparing for the regular season. Since this is a dynasty approach, the short-term implications aren’t as much of a concern.

Rookie dynasty rankings are always fun. They are typically are met with reasonable and constructive comments.

We have no idea how these players will pan out, but given that fantasy football is a numbers-driven game, we can use historical data and a bit of subjectivity to give a range of outcomes for a certain player.

That’s what’s most important here. Instead of looking at these rookies (or any player in fantasy football) as if there is a rigid outlook, it’s best to take the approach with a range of outcome in mind.

Anything can happen with these rookies. We know that. But we are—or should be—talking about the highest probability outcome. What is most likely a player going to turn into given what we know about similar players from the past?

That’s why I’ve spent the last few years trying to build a regression model to project an incoming player’s PPR points-per-game over his first three seasons. It’s still very early in the process, and it’s likely to change as time goes on. But I feel I’m finally at a good starting point.

But I wanted you to know how I go through my rankings. It’s mostly historical data that involves draft capital, market share statistics, age-adjusted production and athletic testing. That spits out a number and then I place the players into tiers. Some subjectivity is involved based on landing spot and overall skill sets.

If you have any questions or simply want to bash me for these rankings, hit me up on Twitter (@KevinHickey11).

So without further ado, here are my fantasy football rookie rankings for the 2022 draft class:

OKC Thunder news: Josh Giddey in fifth place in latest NBA Rookie Rankings

Josh Giddey came in fifth place in the NBA’s latest rookie rankings.

The NBA released its latest weekly rookie rankings on Wednesday and Oklahoma City Thunder guard Josh Giddey came in fifth place. The top four in order were Evan Mobley, Cade Cunningham, Scottie Barnes and Franz Wagner.

Here’s the summary of Giddey’s placing in the article:

“As you can see, there’s an Eastern tilt to the top of the Ladder. That means Giddey might be on his way to his third straight Western Conference rookie of the month award. In his first eight games this month, he’s averaging 13.8 points, 8.1 rebounds and 7.0 assists (more than triple any other candidate), while shooting 48% overall and 41% from three. Closest competitors: Houston’s Jalen Green (15.4, 3.8, 1.9, 39.5%, 28.6%) and New Orleans’ Herbert Jones (13.0, 3.8, 2.1, 55.3%, 46.2%). Giddey has improved each month, particularly as a shooter.”

Giddey, the two-time Rookie of the Month winner, won the award for October/November and December. The 19-year-old has averaged 11.4 points, 7.4 rebounds and 6.3 assists in 39 games this season. Giddey went sixth overall in the 2021 NBA Draft.

Considering the fact that the Thunder received the sixth pick despite having the fourth-best lottery odds, I think it is fair to say that Thunder GM Sam Presti made the best of a bad situation by selecting Giddey. The rookie has been one of the Thunder’s best players this season with his elite playmaking, passing and rebounding abilities.

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Jaylon Johnson dubbed honorable mention on 2020 top rookies list

Chicago Bears rookie cornerback Jaylon Johnson continues to rank among the NFL’s best rookies in 2020.

The Chicago Bears hit on one of the most difficult positions to evaluate in the 2020 NFL draft with the selection of cornerback Jaylon Johnson in the second round.

Johnson, who’s started every game this season for the Bears, has given up 31 receptions on 58 targets for 495 yards, per Pro Football Focus, and has quickly become one of the team’s most important young players. He’s also one of the best first-year players in the league, according to the Touchdown Wire’s ranking of the top rookies in 2020.

He checked-in as an honorable mention.

While Johnson certainly has an argument to rank higher on this list, it’s worth noting he’s the only cornerback acknowledged in a class that included six first-rounders at the position.

The Bears may have landed the best one, which is extra special considering the Detroit Lions spent the third overall pick on former Ohio State standout, Jeffery Okudah, who’s among the lowest-graded defenders on the Lions roster this season.