Continuing our first pass through the league with a look at the rookies, we go to the AFC South and North to see which 2012 draft picks have been paying early dividends and which haven't yet got their shot.
AFC South
Houston Texans
Not surprisingly, first round outside linebacker Whitney Mercilus has seen limited time through three games. The Texans already had OLBs Connor Barwin and Brooks Reed entrenched as starters and Mercilus was drafted with depth in mind. He’s had only one hurry in his 30 pass rush attempts and keep in mind he's being allowed to ease into the NFL. Second round wide receiver DeVier Posey has yet to see the field this season, but fourth round wide receiver Keshawn Martin has been out there for 67 snaps. He has some ability as a route runner, but he’s dropped two of the six balls thrown his way. It’s a similar situation on the offensive line where guard Brandon Brooks was drafted in the third round but he’s been overshadowed by fourth round G Ben Jones. Jones has played well in a rotational role where he’s shown a great ability to get to the second level in the Texans zone blocking scheme. Defensive end Jared Crick has made the most of his 20 snaps as the fourth rounder has two stops and a hurry to show for his efforts. The only undrafted free agent to see significant snaps is WR Lestar Jean who really impressed the coaching staff during training camp. He’s only been targeted three times, but he had an outstanding catch-and-run for 46 yards on a comeback route last week.
Indianapolis Colts
After waiting for their new franchise QB all last season, Colts fans have finally been able to see what first overall QB Andrew Luck can do in Indianapolis. There have certainly been some “this is what we sucked for?” moments as he’s forced some balls into coverage. However, he’s shown the expected poise and pocket presence he was touted with coming out of Stanford. His deep accuracy % is tied for the league lead (among qualifiers) at 44%. Luck has connected with his Stanford teammate, TE Coby Fleener, eight times through three games, though Fleener has also dropped three passes. The Colts doubled up on tight ends with the selection of Dwayne Allen in the third round. His 146 snaps are only four less than Fleener and he’s made his presence felt as a run blocker at +1.2. Fellow third rounder, WR T.Y. Hilton, saw his most extensive playing time last week and he made the most of it with four receptions for 133 yards and his first NFL touchdown. He did drop a pass as well, which is a slight concern given his problems catching the ball during the preseason. Fifth round running back Vick Ballard has been unimpressive on his 15 carries. He’s picked up only 31 yards and has yet to make a defender miss a tackle. The last two Colts rookies to see time on offense are sixth round WR LaVon Brazill who has one reception for 10 yards on his eight snaps and undrafted free agent TE Dominique Jones whose spent 21 of his 26 snaps as a run blocker.
Jacksonville Jaguars
After QB Blaine Gabbert’s brutal rookie season, the Jaguars first order of business this offseason was finding pass catchers for him to develop with. They traded up to the No. 5 overall pick in the draft to take wide receiver Justin Blackmon, but he’s yet to make an impact through three games. His 0.36 Yards Per Route Run (YPRR) ranks 89th and last among qualifiers at the position and part of this is due to his long holdout in the preseason. Another seemingly yearly position of need for the Jaguars is pass rusher and Jacksonville selected DE Andre Branch with their second round pick. After picking up some pressures against backups during the preseason, Branch has struggled affecting the passer as he’s picked up only six pressures on his 107 rushes this season, good for a -6.0 grade. Perhaps the most ridiculed pick of the entire draft was the Jaguars selection of punter Bryan Anger early in the third round. It was certainly early to take a punter, but Anger is graded second highest at the position at +7.8 while averaging 52.9 yards per punt. Sixth round CB Mike Harris saw all five of his snaps last week and picked up one stop in his limited time. Two undrafted free agent have seen live snaps for the Jaguars. WR Kevin Elliott has started to earn more playing time and he picked up 24 yards on his two catches last week. LB Julian Stanford has notched two stops in his 13 snaps in a backup role.
Tennessee Titans
The Titans selected WR Kendall Wright with the 21st overall pick in the first round in a bit of a surprise move. Despite his explosive deep speed only four of his 21 targets have gone beyond 10 yards and only one of them has been beyond 20 yards. Second round OLB Zach Brown saw 54 of his 68 snaps in Week 2 and he showed well at +2.0 for the game. In addition, six of his 10 tackles this season have been stops. The Titans have done a nice job finding mid-round defensive tackles in the draft the last two years, and DT Mike Martin’s +3.3 grade is making them look good. His Pass Rush Productivity of 11.3 is tied for second among defensive tackles. We haven’t seen much from fourth round CB Coty Sensabaugh, but he’s given up completions on all four balls thrown his way. Defensive end convert, TE Taylor Thompson, has been on the field for 17 snaps with the one pass targeted for him falling incomplete. Seventh round DE Scott Solomon has rushed the passer 34 times with three hurries to show for it. Undrafted free agent DT Dajohn Harris has played 44 snaps in the defensive tackle rotation. He’s been pushed around a bit in the running game to the tune of a -1.5 grade.
AFC North
Baltimore Ravens
Channeling our inner Dennis Green, second round OLB Courtney Upshaw “is who we thought he was” to this point in his career. He came out of Alabama looking like a stout run defender who lacked the explosiveness to consistently affect the passer. His +2.2 run grade and –3.9 pass rush grade back up that assessment. The season was going well for second round OT Kelechi Osemele until Thursday night’s game against the Cleveland Browns. He’s starting at the right tackle position, allowing for Michael Oher’s move to the other side. His 95.0 PBE still ranks 25th in the league which is nothing to be ashamed of for the rookie. Third round RB Bernard Pierce has spelled Ray Rice for 45 snaps through four games. He’s run well averaging 5.2 yards on his 17 carries. The Ravens haven’t gotten much out of the rest of their draft picks, as backup center Gino Gradkowski’s five snaps represent the contribution from their last five selections. They also received nine snaps from undrafted WR Deonte Thompson who had a 25 yard reception on his two targets.
Cincinnati Bengals
The Bengals had two first round pick to play with in this past draft. While CB Dre Kirkpatrick has not seen the field due to injury, right guard Kevin Zeitler has had a strong start to his career. He’s tied for seventh among guards with a 98.4 PBE. It’s been a slow progression for second round DT Devon Still who struggled in Week 1. He picked up two hurries last week to bring his season total to three QB disruptions in 34 attempts. Perhaps the best throw of the season from the Bengals has come from WR Mohamed Sanu who hit A.J. Green in stride for a 73 yard touchdown on a trick play last week. That’s the only highlight of Sanu’s nine snaps. Third round DT Brandon Thompson has been limited to 13 snaps where he’s picked up a hurry and a stop. TE Orson Charles has been used primarily as a blocker though he’s struggled in the role at -1.5. Some analysts thought WR Marvin Jones was a better option than Sanu. Jones last to the fifth round and he has yet to see a ball thrown his way on his 23 snaps. The Bengals picked SS George Iloka right after Jones and he has not been on the field defensively but he’s notched a tackle and an assist on special teams.
Cleveland Browns
After wheeling and dealing to pick up two first round picks, the Browns looked to change the face of their offense with the selections of RB Trent Richardson and QB Brandon Weeden. Richardson got off to a slow start, but he’s started to live up to the hype, particularly in the passing game. Of his 13 missed tackles forced, nine of them have come after a reception. Weeden has dealt with the usual rookie struggles at the quarterback position but the Browns have let him throw the ball down the field. He’s only completed three of his 23 attempts beyond 20 yards, though he’s also been the victim of three drops on those passes. Cleveland grabbed another offensive starter in the second round in OT Mitchell Schwartz. He’s played every snap at right tackle this season and of his four games, two have been good and two have been bad. He’s currently 25th among offensive tackles in PBE at 94.7. Rookies have seen a lot of snaps at defensive tackle as third rounder John Hughes has been a big part of the rotation and sixth rounder Billy Winn is starting. They’ve both been serviceable at +0.2 and -1.0 respectively. Fourth round wide receiver Travis Benjamin has caught only five of the 15 balls thrown his way. Three of those passes have gone for interceptions and two have been dropped. Another rookie WR seeing time is second round supplemental pick Josh Gordon. He has seven receptions for 93 yards, 42 of which have come after the catch. Seventh round CB Trevin Wade has only been targeted twice in his 34 snaps, but the one completion was good for a 50 yard touchdown. Just as the draft class has seen a lot of playing time this season, the Browns undrafted free agents have made major contributions as well. LB L.J. Fort had a great debut picking up a sack, interception and pass deflection in Week 1. DT Ishmaa’ily Kitchen has played 58 snaps in the defensive line rotation where he’s notched three stops. CB Tashaun Gibson has also seen 58 snaps and he’s given up completions on both of his targeted passes including a touchdown.
Pittsburgh Steelers
Injuries have decimated the Steelers' draft class, and it all started with first round OG David DeCastro who sustained an ACL/MCL injury in the preseason and then being placed on the new designated for return injured reserve list. Second round OT Mike Adams saw 56 of his 57 snaps in Week 1 where he surrendered a modest two hurries and a sack, but a -1.9 run block grade has him in the negative for the season. Pittsburgh also lost third round LB Sean Spence for the year due to a preseason injury. Fourth round DT Alameda Ta’amu has yet to see the field this year as well. Of his 27 offensive snaps, fifth round RB Chris Rainey has four carries and four receptions. He’s yet to show his big play ability though he’s forced two missed tackles. He’s also returned four kicks and one punt for a 0.5 special teams rating. TE David Paulson was the second of four seventh rounders and he’s spent 17 of his 23 snaps as an extra run blocker. Fellow seventh rounder, OT Kelvin Beachum, managed to give up a hit on one of his seven snaps to put him at -1.1 on the season. The only undrafted free agent to see time is FB Will Johnson whose picked up three receptions for 42 yards on his 47 snaps.
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