Squirrlnutz Posted July 16, 2012 Report Share Posted July 16, 2012 Didn't see this posted anywhere, guess its an insider article. [url="http://insider.espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/8164424/nfl-ranking-top-organizations-nfl-based-25-talent"]http://insider.espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/8164424/nfl-ranking-top-organizations-nfl-based-25-talent[/url] [b] 3. [url="http://espn.go.com/nfl/team/_/name/cin/cincinnati-bengals"]Cincinnati Bengals[/url][/b] [color=#333333][font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=3] QB [url="http://espn.go.com/nfl/player/_/id/14012/andy-dalton"]Andy Dalton[/url] (25) and WR [url="http://espn.go.com/nfl/player/_/id/13983/aj-green"]A.J. Green[/url] (24) didn't disappoint in their rookie seasons. The former was the only other player besides Newton to garner votes for Offensive Rookie of the Year, and the latter made the Pro Bowl. Dalton played his best on third downs (38.9 percent DVOA) and in the red zone (28.0 percent DVOA), while Green had a 57 percent catch rate and dropped only two passes all year despite having 39 percent of his targets come 16 or more yards downfield. Cincinnati also has two other young pieces in the pass offense with TE [url="http://espn.go.com/nfl/player/_/id/13228/jermaine-gresham"]Jermaine Gresham[/url](24) and RT [url="http://espn.go.com/nfl/player/_/id/12622/andre-smith"]Andre Smith[/url] (25).[/size][/font][/color][color=#333333][font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=3] The Bengals' run defense improved from 25th to 16th in DVOA thanks in large part to the play of middle linebacker [url="http://espn.go.com/nfl/player/_/id/12455/rey-maualuga"]Rey Maualuga[/url] (25) and DT [url="http://espn.go.com/nfl/player/_/id/13311/geno-atkins"]Geno Atkins[/url] (24), the latter of whom also led the team in sacks. DE [url="http://espn.go.com/nfl/player/_/id/13274/carlos-dunlap"]Carlos Dunlap[/url] (23) was a force as a situational pass-rusher, producing a team-leading 13 quarterback hits and 20.5 hurries to go along with his four sacks. Cincinnati's pass defense ranked 18th in DVOA despite the front seven finishing 10th in adjusted sack rate, which spoke to problems on the back end. To help remedy that, the Bengals selected CB [url="http://espn.go.com/nfl/player/_/id/14940/dre-kirkpatrick"]Dre Kirkpatrick[/url] in the first round of April's draft.[/size][/font][/color] [color=#333333][font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=3] 1. Pats 2. Lions 4. Bucs 5. Pack[/size][/font][/color][color=#333333][font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=3] 18. Browns 19. Ravens 26. Steelers <-- [/size][/font][/color] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
texbengal Posted July 17, 2012 Report Share Posted July 17, 2012 Nice ranking... they do have a lot of young talent, no question. Not sure it's not the best, but since I don't have ESPN Insider, I can't see the rationale for the Pats and Detroit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Squirrlnutz Posted July 17, 2012 Author Report Share Posted July 17, 2012 [quote name='texbengal' timestamp='1342484940' post='1139151'] Nice ranking... they do have a lot of young talent, no question. Not sure it's not the best, but since I don't have ESPN Insider, I can't see the rationale for the Pats and Detroit. [/quote] I can post the other blurbs whenever I get to a computer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
big_dish Posted July 17, 2012 Report Share Posted July 17, 2012 [quote name='texbengal' timestamp='1342484940' post='1139151'] Nice ranking... they do have a lot of young talent, no question. Not sure it's not the best, but since I don't have ESPN Insider, I can't see the rationale for the Pats and Detroit. [/quote] Just as a heads up to anyone, you can usually copy/paste a sentence or two from the insider preview paragraph they tease, and google it. You'll get a ton of message board returns from people who have insider- you can read every article they publish without ever paying a dime. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
texbengal Posted July 17, 2012 Report Share Posted July 17, 2012 [quote name='big_dish' timestamp='1342488426' post='1139168'] Just as a heads up to anyone, you can usually copy/paste a sentence or two from the insider preview paragraph they tease, and google it. You'll get a ton of message board returns from people who have insider- you can read every article they publish without ever paying a dime. [/quote] Great tip, thanks. I signed up for a trial once, and honestly, I didn't see that it was worth paying for. Now I guess I won't need to. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Squirrlnutz Posted July 17, 2012 Author Report Share Posted July 17, 2012 [quote name='texbengal' timestamp='1342489419' post='1139174'] Great tip, thanks. I signed up for a trial once, and honestly, I didn't see that it was worth paying for. Now I guess I won't need to. [/quote] I think I signed up like a decade ago for fantasy Info. Just never cancelled it. Man just did the math, roughly $850 for the past decade! Shitty. I mean the convenience of never being told "no" when I click on something on ESPN has been nice but not that nice! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
happyrid Posted July 17, 2012 Report Share Posted July 17, 2012 [quote name='texbengal' timestamp='1342484940' post='1139151'] Nice ranking... they do have a lot of young talent, no question. Not sure it's not the best, but since I don't have ESPN Insider, I can't see the rationale for the Pats and Detroit. [/quote] I don't have insider, but just looking at the Pats team and their under 25 guys, it starts with Gronkowski and Hernandez at TE who are 23 and 22. At RB, both Vereen and Ridley are under 25. They have Ryan Mallett as backup QB. They have a very good young LT, Nate Solder and at OG, Marcus Cannon who has some upside. On defense, they have a couple good young guys in their secondary, Patrick Chung and Devin McCourty. Also, their 2nd round S Tavon Wilson. At LB/DE they have their 2 first round draft picks, Dont'a Hightower and Chandler Jones. They also have Brandon Spikes and Jermaine Cunningham. As far as the Lions, I don't see it. Calvin Johnson is 26 and shouldn't count. They do have Matt Stafford, Ndamukong Suh, Jahvid Best and Louis Delmas who are all good young players. And their last 2 draft classes with guys like Nick Fairley, Titus Young, Mikel Leshoure, Riley Reiff, Ryan Broyles, etc. Definitely a solid group with franchise type players in Stafford and Suh, but with the injury concerns of Best and all the off field issues of their last draft class, #2 seems high. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Haigin88 Posted July 17, 2012 Report Share Posted July 17, 2012 Sometime around 2003 or so, the Bengals may have made a similar list with Johnson (before OchoGarbago days), Palmer, Housh, Smith, Spikes, Steinbach, Chris Perry, Chris Henry, Levi Jones. I don’t remember when all these guys overlapped when they were under 25 years old, so my info may not be completely accurate. Bottom line, all that young talent equaled zero playoff wins. I see better than I hear (or read). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
T-Dub Posted July 17, 2012 Report Share Posted July 17, 2012 I like FO, they're not above a cheap Bengals joke sometimes but are less biased than most. They were one of the first to recognize how much ass Atkins was kicking - and backed it up with solid numbers, like they always do. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jason Posted July 17, 2012 Report Share Posted July 17, 2012 [quote name='texbengal' timestamp='1342489419' post='1139174'] Great tip, thanks. I signed up for a trial once, and honestly, I didn't see that it was worth paying for. Now I guess I won't need to. [/quote] It's only $45 a year (or was when I signed up, don't know if it's more now for new subscribers) and you also get a subscription to ESPN the Magazine. I think it's worth it. I am looking forward to the individual player ranking when it comes out. AJ and Carlos should be very high, as well as Geno and Andy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
texbengal Posted July 17, 2012 Report Share Posted July 17, 2012 [quote name='happyrid' timestamp='1342492387' post='1139182'] I don't have insider, but just looking at the Pats team and their under 25 guys, it starts with Gronkowski and Hernandez at TE who are 23 and 22. At RB, both Vereen and Ridley are under 25. They have Ryan Mallett as backup QB. They have a very good young LT, Nate Solder and at OG, Marcus Cannon who has some upside. On defense, they have a couple good young guys in their secondary, Patrick Chung and Devin McCourty. Also, their 2nd round S Tavon Wilson. At LB/DE they have their 2 first round draft picks, Dont'a Hightower and Chandler Jones. They also have Brandon Spikes and Jermaine Cunningham. As far as the Lions, I don't see it. Calvin Johnson is 26 and shouldn't count. They do have Matt Stafford, Ndamukong Suh, Jahvid Best and Louis Delmas who are all good young players. And their last 2 draft classes with guys like Nick Fairley, Titus Young, Mikel Leshoure, Riley Reiff, Ryan Broyles, etc. Definitely a solid group with franchise type players in Stafford and Suh, but with the injury concerns of Best and all the off field issues of their last draft class, #2 seems high. [/quote] Sure, I get the TEs for the Pats, and Solder has something. The others you cite, like Ridley, Mallett, and Cannon, haven't done much yet - although much is expected of Ridley. Chung is a solid S, and McCourty is up and down at CB. I do like Spikes and Cunningham, but still, I can't see that crew being any better than what the Bengals have. Detroit I agree - they have some excellent players, but overall I don't see them being better than the Bengals. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Squirrlnutz Posted July 17, 2012 Author Report Share Posted July 17, 2012 [color=#333333][font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=3] Having young talent is an enormous key to continued success in the NFL, but it isn't the only thing that matters.[/size][/font][/color][color=#333333][font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=3] That is the wording we'd use to describe the fact that 2010's No. 1 team in our [url="http://insider.espn.go.com/nfl/insider/news/story?page=FootballOutsiders2010OrganizationalRankings"]U-25 organizational rankings[/url], the [url="http://espn.go.com/nfl/team/_/name/hou/houston-texans"]Houston Texans[/url], went 6-10 that season. It also helps explain the debacle that was the 2011 [url="http://espn.go.com/nfl/team/_/name/tb/tampa-bay-buccaneers"]Tampa Bay Buccaneers[/url], our [url="http://insider.espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/6808224/ranking-top-organizations-nfl-based-25-talent"]first-place team in 2011[/url]. Both teams came into the season with high expectations and both teams flopped miserably due to poor luck, injury attrition and, in Tampa's case last season, essentially quitting on their coach.[/size][/font][/color][color=#333333][font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=3] Remember that these rankings represent nothing more than a snapshot in time. If there's anything the regression-analysis we mainly dabble in shows us, it's that what goes up may eventually come down. With that in mind, we'd like to offer our sincere condolences to fans of the AFC team that is No. 1 this year in the event that the No. 1 slot on this list becomes a hex of some sort.[/size][/font][/color][color=#333333][font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=3] Here are the criteria we used to come up with our rankings:[/size][/font][/color][color=#333333][font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=3] • The number of games in 2011 started by players under the age of 25[/size][/font][/color][color=#333333][font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=3] • Whether or not a team's young starters last season were simply injury replacements • The number of 25-or-younger first-team All-Pros a team has on its roster • The extent to which a team's 25-and-under talent plays impact positions in the passing game • Whether or not a team has a talented, young quarterback • The amount of value a team added in the 2012 draft • A team's recent track record of developing and retaining young talent[/size][/font][/color][color=#333333][font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=3] Once we had our objective rankings, discussion amongst the crew at Football Outsiders tweaked the list resulting in the final version that you see below.[/size][/font][/color][color=#333333][font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=3] The turnover on this list, from year to year, is staggering. While it goes without saying that football is a young man's game, it's also the sport where injury attrition is the worst for young players. Having young stars is an important thing in the NFL, but with most players able to stay on the list for only three or four NFL seasons, lists of organizational talent will shift dramatically based on recent draft pools.[/size][/font][/color][color=#333333][font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=3] You'll see a number of references to Football Outsiders stats on our list, in particular DVOA (defense-adjusted value over average), which takes every play and compares its success to the NFL average based on situation and opponent. You can read more about that and other FO stats [url="http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=3079031"]on this page[/url].[/size][/font][/color][color=#333333][font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=3] Without further ado, here are our organizational rankings for this season. (Note: All ages are as of Sept. 8, 2012.)[/size][/font][/color] [color=#333333][font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=3] [img]http://a.espncdn.com/i/teamlogos/nfl/med/trans/nwe.gif[/img][color=#000000][size=1]1. [/size][/color][url="http://espn.go.com/nfl/team/_/name/ne/new-england-patriots"]New England Patriots[/url][/size][/font][/color] [color=#333333][font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=3] Truth be told, our statistical analysis last year said the Patriots had the best 25-and-under talent in 2011, but we went with our gut instead. Lesson learned. New England had 15 significant contributors last season who qualify this season as well, but we really need only to discuss the three who helped produce the No. 3 offensive DVOA in the league. If you can believe it, tight ends [url="http://espn.go.com/nfl/player/_/id/13229/rob-gronkowski"]Rob Gronkowski[/url] and [url="http://espn.go.com/nfl/player/_/id/13230/aaron-hernandez"]Aaron Hernandez[/url] are still only 23 years old. Whether we look at standard or advanced stats, Gronkowski had a record-setting season: He was the first tight end ever to lead the NFL in receiving touchdowns, and also had the best receiving DYAR (defense-adjusted yards above replacement) for any tight end since 1991. To put the latter in perspective, the second-through-fourth-best tight end seasons were clustered at 357 or 358 DYAR; Gronkowski beat that by about 100 (459).[/size][/font][/color][color=#333333][font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=3] Of course, lest we forget Hernandez in New England's double-shot of matchup nightmares; he led all tight ends by breaking 21 tackles and he actually carried the ball 11 times in the team's final five games. [url="http://espn.go.com/nfl/player/_/id/13964/nate-solder"]Nate Solder[/url] (24) helped make huge tight end seasons possible by giving up only 2.5 blown-block sacks in his rookie year. With the retirement of [url="http://espn.go.com/nfl/player/_/id/2596/matt-light"]Matt Light[/url], Solder will switch from right tackle to left tackle, further increasing his value.[/size][/font][/color][color=#333333][font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=3] Finally, the Patriots added LB [url="http://espn.go.com/nfl/player/_/id/14933/dont"]Dont'a Hightower[/url] (22) and DE [url="http://espn.go.com/nfl/player/_/id/14927/chandler-jones"]Chandler Jones[/url] (22) in the draft, both of whom should contribute this season and in the future.[/size][/font][/color][color=#333333][font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=3] Times are good in New England.[/size][/font][/color] [img]http://a.espncdn.com/i/teamlogos/nfl/med/trans/det.gif[/img] [b] 2. [url="http://espn.go.com/nfl/team/_/name/det/detroit-lions"]Detroit Lions[/url][/b] [color=#333333][background=transparent] Last year, Detroit was ranked only fifth on this list mostly because of concerns about QB [url="http://espn.go.com/nfl/player/_/id/12483/matthew-stafford"]Matthew Stafford[/url]'s throwing shoulder. Well, Stafford put those concerns to rest, finishing 2011 in the top 10 in both DVOA and DYAR, so here the Lions sit at No. 2. Although [url="http://espn.go.com/nfl/player/_/id/10447/calvin-johnson"]Calvin Johnson[/url] is the obvious lynchpin, the growth of second-year slot receiver [url="http://espn.go.com/nfl/player/_/id/14034/titus-young"]Titus Young[/url] (23) and the return of injured running backs [url="http://espn.go.com/nfl/player/_/id/13205/jahvid-best"]Jahvid Best[/url] (23) and [url="http://espn.go.com/nfl/player/_/id/14052/mikel-leshoure"]Mikel Leshoure[/url] (22) should allow Detroit's offense to maintain -- if not improve -- its No. 10 DVOA from last season. First-round tackle [url="http://espn.go.com/nfl/player/_/id/14930/riley-reiff"]Riley Reiff[/url] is the Lions' left tackle of the future but is talented enough to beat out the underwhelming [url="http://espn.go.com/nfl/player/_/id/11251/gosder-cherilus"]Gosder Cherilus[/url] for Detroit's starting right tackle job this season.[/background][/color] [color=#333333][background=transparent] Most of the Lions' 25-and-under talent on defense is involved heavily in the running game, which is one reason the unit improved from 27th to 18th in run defense DVOA. DT[url="http://espn.go.com/nfl/player/_/id/13234/ndamukong-suh"]Ndamukong Suh[/url] (25) needs no introduction, but less-heralded youngsters like LB [url="http://espn.go.com/nfl/player/_/id/12682/deandre-levy"]DeAndre Levy[/url] (25) and in-the-box safeties [url="http://espn.go.com/nfl/player/_/id/12528/louis-delmas"]Louis Delmas[/url] (25) and [url="http://espn.go.com/nfl/player/_/id/13297/amari-spievey"]Amari Spievey[/url] (24) each contributed their fair share. As a center fielder in pass defense, Delmas doesn't get his hands on too many balls (three passes defensed and zero interceptions the past two seasons), but he also doesn't get beat deep. His value was on full display in the last six games of last season, when the Lions' pass defense basically fell apart without him.[/background][/color] [b] 4. [url="http://espn.go.com/nfl/team/_/name/tb/tampa-bay-buccaneers"]Tampa Bay Buccaneers[/url][/b] The 2011 Buccaneers were a cautionary tale for those of us who take pride in these rankings. Tampa Bay was our No. 1 team last year, but virtually every youngster we cited ended up playing worse than advertised. Franchise QB[url="http://espn.go.com/nfl/player/_/id/12473/josh-freeman"]Josh Freeman[/url] (24) threw 16 more interceptions than he did in 2010 and fell from inside the top 10 in DYAR and DVOA to outside the top 30. Freeman's No. 1 target, WR[url="http://espn.go.com/nfl/player/_/id/13489/mike-williams"]Mike Williams[/url] (25), had nearly 200 fewer receiving yards and eight fewer touchdowns than in 2010 despite an identical number of catches (65). RB [url="http://espn.go.com/nfl/player/_/id/13213/legarrette-blount"]LeGarrette Blount[/url] (26), though not a qualifier this year, lost his job thanks to a case of fumblitis. Hey, it's not all bad. Rookie[url="http://espn.go.com/nfl/player/_/id/14885/doug-martin"]Doug Martin[/url], who had the fourth-highest speed score among this year's backs, replaces Blount in the starting lineup. On defense, it was the same story. CB [url="http://espn.go.com/nfl/player/_/id/12633/ej-biggers"]E.J. Biggers[/url] (24) allowed 4.4 yards per pass more than he did in 2010 and dropped from 13th to 76th in success rate. DE [url="http://espn.go.com/nfl/player/_/id/14046/da"]Da'Quan Bowers[/url](22) finished third on the team in quarterback hurries despite limited playing time for most of the season, but he tore his Achilles tendon two months ago. LB [url="http://espn.go.com/nfl/player/_/id/11409/geno-hayes"]Geno Hayes[/url] (25) was solid against the run once again, but he took his talents to the Windy City this offseason. Defensive tackle [url="http://espn.go.com/nfl/player/_/id/13240/gerald-mccoy"]Gerald McCoy[/url] (24) tore his biceps (again) and ended up starting only six games. If there was any silver lining to the Buccaneers' black cloud last year, it was the promising play of young starters DE [url="http://espn.go.com/nfl/player/_/id/13965/adrian-clayborn"]Adrian Clayborn[/url] (24), DT [url="http://espn.go.com/nfl/player/_/id/13293/brian-price"]Brian Price[/url] (23) and LB [url="http://espn.go.com/nfl/player/_/id/14023/mason-foster"]Mason Foster[/url] (24). Add in first-round strong safety [url="http://espn.go.com/nfl/player/_/id/14932/mark-barron"]Mark Barron[/url] and the situation seems even less depressing. [img]http://a.espncdn.com/i/teamlogos/nfl/med/trans/gnb.gif[/img] [b] 5. [url="http://espn.go.com/nfl/team/_/name/gb/green-bay-packers"]Green Bay Packers[/url][/b] Given that the Packers finished 2011 with the third-best pass offense DVOA since 1991, it's not surprising that the vast majority of their 25-and-under talent resides on that unit. Tight end [url="http://espn.go.com/nfl/player/_/id/11325/jermichael-finley"]Jermichael Finley[/url] has finished in the top 11 of both DVOA and DYAR for the past three seasons. RT [url="http://espn.go.com/nfl/player/_/id/13247/bryan-bulaga"]Bryan Bulaga[/url] (23) has surrendered only 5.0 blown-block sacks in two years. His counterpart, LT [url="http://espn.go.com/nfl/player/_/id/13428/marshall-newhouse"]Marshall Newhouse[/url] (25), assumed the left tackle position in place of an injured [url="http://espn.go.com/nfl/player/_/id/2175/chad-clifton"]Chad Clifton[/url](released in April) before he was ready, so his team-leading 9.0 blown-block sacks aren't as much of a concern as they otherwise would be. On defense and special teams, [url="http://espn.go.com/nfl/player/_/id/13264/morgan-burnett"]Morgan Burnett[/url] (23) was involved in nearly 14 percent of the Packers' defensive plays last season, making him one of the most active safeties in the league. First-round pick [url="http://espn.go.com/nfl/player/_/id/14929/nick-perry"]Nick Perry[/url] will start opposite [url="http://espn.go.com/nfl/player/_/id/12438/clay-matthews"]Clay Matthews[/url] at outside linebacker. In a down year for pass-rushing prospects, Perry was No. 1, according to SackSEER (SackSEER is Football Outsiders' projection system for pass-rushers, [url="http://www.footballoutsiders.com/stat-analysis/2012/sackseer-2012"]explained here[/url].)".[url="http://espn.go.com/nfl/player/_/id/14053/randall-cobb"]Randall Cobb[/url] (22) might be fifth on the depth chart at wide receiver, but he was the third-most valuable kickoff returner last year (6.4 expected points added), as well as the seventh-most valuable punt returner (4.7 expected points added). [img]http://a.espncdn.com/i/teamlogos/nfl/med/trans/phi.gif[/img] [b] 6. [url="http://espn.go.com/nfl/team/_/name/phi/philadelphia-eagles"]Philadelphia Eagles[/url][/b] The bell cow of Philadelphia's 25-and-under talent is RB [url="http://espn.go.com/nfl/player/_/id/12514/lesean-mccoy"]LeSean McCoy[/url], who astonishingly is still only 24 years old. McCoy led all backs in rushing DYAR last season after finishing fourth in 2010. As a rookie starter, C [url="http://espn.go.com/nfl/player/_/id/14124/jason-kelce"]Jason Kelce[/url] (25) helped open holes for McCoy and also did a good job of protecting QB [url="http://espn.go.com/nfl/player/_/id/2549/michael-vick"]Michael Vick[/url] (only one blown-block sack allowed). WR [url="http://espn.go.com/nfl/player/_/id/11283/desean-jackson"]DeSean Jackson[/url], who just missed our cut at age 26, might produce more fodder for highlight reels, but according to our metrics, [url="http://espn.go.com/nfl/player/_/id/12579/jeremy-maclin"]Jeremy Maclin[/url] (24) has actually been a more efficient and more valuable wideout for Philadelphia over the past two seasons. On defense, strong safety [url="http://espn.go.com/nfl/player/_/id/13340/kurt-coleman"]Kurt Coleman[/url] and free safety [url="http://espn.go.com/nfl/player/_/id/13257/nate-allen"]Nate Allen[/url] are both younger than 26. Coleman was merely adequate as the replacement for former starter [url="http://espn.go.com/nfl/player/_/id/5107/quintin-mikell"]Quintin Mikell[/url]. It was Allen, however, who showed a huge improvement from his rookie season, finishing first among safeties in success rate on pass coverage. Philadelphia's revamped front seven in 2012 includes two rookies who will see significant playing time. Second-round pick [url="http://espn.go.com/nfl/player/_/id/14978/mychal-kendricks"]Mychal Kendricks[/url] has been handed the starting strongside linebacker job as a rookie. First-rounder[url="http://espn.go.com/nfl/player/_/id/14941/fletcher-cox"]Fletcher Cox[/url] might unseat 2011 starter [url="http://espn.go.com/nfl/player/_/id/8445/mike-patterson"]Mike Patterson[/url] at defensive tackle, but even if he doesn't, he'll be heavily involved in the rotation. [img]http://a.espncdn.com/i/teamlogos/nfl/med/trans/ten.gif[/img] [b] 7. [url="http://espn.go.com/nfl/team/_/name/ten/tennessee-titans"]Tennessee Titans[/url][/b] The Titans offense was already replete with young talent in the passing game even before they drafted WR [url="http://espn.go.com/nfl/player/_/id/14909/kendall-wright"]Kendall Wright[/url] (Baylor) in the first round. [url="http://espn.go.com/nfl/player/_/id/13969/jake-locker"]Jake Locker[/url] (24) is the heir apparent at quarterback, and [url="http://espn.go.com/nfl/player/_/id/12556/kenny-britt"]Kenny Britt[/url] (24) is the star apparent at wide receiver despite his 2011 knee injury. [url="http://espn.go.com/nfl/player/_/id/12537/jared-cook"]Jared Cook[/url], one of our top 25 prospects last season showed flashes of top-10 tight end performance at times, which was expected given his physical makeup. The only significant question mark is WR [url="http://espn.go.com/nfl/player/_/id/13219/damian-williams"]Damian Williams[/url] (24), who only caught 48 percent of passes thrown his way despite more than three-quarters of them being within 15 yards of the line of scrimmage. On defense, six of 11 starters are 25 or younger, and the emerging talent is spread out across all positions. DT [url="http://espn.go.com/nfl/player/_/id/14047/jurrell-casey"]Jurrell Casey[/url] (23) proved to be a stout run defender during his rookie season. Linebackers [url="http://espn.go.com/nfl/player/_/id/14015/akeem-ayers"]Akeem Ayers[/url] (23) and [url="http://espn.go.com/nfl/player/_/id/14074/colin-mccarthy"]Colin McCarthy[/url] (24) led the team in defeats last year and both were ranked in the top 20 among linebackers with respect to run-stop rate. With the loss of CB [url="http://espn.go.com/nfl/player/_/id/9801/cortland-finnegan"]Cortland Finnegan[/url], [url="http://espn.go.com/nfl/player/_/id/13478/alterraun-verner"]Alterraun Verner[/url] (24) will join [url="http://espn.go.com/nfl/player/_/id/12691/jason-mccourty"]Jason McCourty[/url] (25) in the starting lineup. Verner played in nickel packages and posted the 13th-best success rate in the NFL. McCourty was one of the most targeted corners in the league last season, but he held his own, ranking 37th in success rate. The Titans secondary suffered from a lack of interceptions last season, but it wasn't for a lack of effort from McCourty and Verner: They combined for 25 passes defensed. [img]http://a.espncdn.com/i/teamlogos/nfl/med/trans/car.gif[/img] [b] 8. [url="http://espn.go.com/nfl/team/_/name/car/carolina-panthers"]Carolina Panthers[/url][/b] Cam Newton almost single-handedly vaults the Panthers into our No. 8 spot. A 15th-ranked DYAR and 16th-ranked DVOA for a quarterback at age 22 has that effect. Unfortunately for Panthers fans, there isn't much more 25-and-under talent. [url="http://espn.go.com/nfl/player/_/id/11247/jonathan-stewart"]Jonathan Stewart[/url] (25) was one of the most productive (fourth in run DYAR) and efficient (second in run DVOA) backs in the NFL last season, but he's busy splitting time with [url="http://espn.go.com/nfl/player/_/id/9613/deangelo-williams"]DeAngelo Williams[/url]. [url="http://espn.go.com/nfl/player/_/id/14753/byron-bell"]Byron Bell[/url] (23) started 12 games at right tackle in place of an injured [url="http://espn.go.com/nfl/player/_/id/11253/jeff-otah"]Jeff Otah[/url], but led last year's line in blown-block sacks allowed (5.0). CB[url="http://espn.go.com/nfl/player/_/id/12703/captain-munnerlyn"]Captain Munnerlynn[/url] (24) ranked near the bottom of the league in coverage success rate and adjusted yards per target. [img]http://a.espncdn.com/i/teamlogos/nfl/med/trans/oak.gif[/img] [b] 9. [url="http://espn.go.com/nfl/team/_/name/oak/oakland-raiders"]Oakland Raiders[/url][/b] The Raiders got the second-least expected value out of the 2012 draft, so their ranking here is based almost exclusively on the under-25 talent of 2011. Aside from DE [url="http://espn.go.com/nfl/player/_/id/13277/lamarr-houston"]Lamarr Houston[/url] (25) and middle linebacker [url="http://espn.go.com/nfl/player/_/id/13255/rolando-mcclain"]Rolando McClain[/url](23), that talent is on offense. In the running game, [url="http://espn.go.com/nfl/player/_/id/11238/darren-mcfadden"]Darren McFadden[/url] has built up quite a résumé when healthy and is only 25 years old. C [url="http://espn.go.com/nfl/player/_/id/169/stefen-wisniewski"]Stefen Wisniewski[/url] (23) anchors the blocking in front of him. Both starting wide receivers also qualify for our list. Although nearly certain to be a draft bust given expectations, 2009 first-rounder [url="http://espn.go.com/nfl/player/_/id/12570/darrius-heyward-bey"]Darrius Heyward-Bey[/url] "broke out" in his third season, improving his DYAR ranking by 42 spots. The revelation, however, was 2011 fifth-round pick [url="http://espn.go.com/nfl/player/_/id/14153/denarius-moore"]Denarius Moore[/url], who will start at split end opposite Heyward-Bey and figures to be the beneficiary of [url="http://espn.go.com/nfl/player/_/id/4459/carson-palmer"]Carson Palmer[/url]'s proclivity for deep passes. Further helping matters is LT [url="http://espn.go.com/nfl/player/_/id/13302/jared-veldheer"]Jared Veldheer[/url], who gave up only 2.0 blown-block sacks in 2011. [img]http://a.espncdn.com/i/teamlogos/nfl/med/trans/hou.gif[/img] [b] 10. [url="http://espn.go.com/nfl/team/_/name/hou/houston-texans"]Houston Texans[/url][/b] With only S [url="http://espn.go.com/nfl/player/_/id/9628/danieal-manning"]Danieal Manning[/url] and DE [url="http://espn.go.com/nfl/player/_/id/5660/antonio-smith"]Antonio Smith[/url] over 30 years old, Houston has one of the youngest projected starting defenses in the league. Inside linebacker [url="http://espn.go.com/nfl/player/_/id/12453/brian-cushing"]Brian Cushing[/url] (25) was the Texans' most valuable defender last year, but 2011 first-round pick [url="http://espn.go.com/nfl/player/_/id/13979/jj-watt"]J.J. Watt[/url] (23) was a one-man wrecking crew during his rookie season, finishing first on the team with 19 defeats (i.e., third- and fourth-down stops, tackles for negative yardage, forced fumbles and interceptions), second in quarterback hits (16) and third in hurries (21). The fact that his impact came at the typically anonymous position of 3-4 defensive end makes it all the more impressive. Watt's 2011 classmate, outside linebacker [url="http://espn.go.com/nfl/player/_/id/13997/brooks-reed"]Brooks Reed[/url] (25), was a constant nuisance to opposing quarterbacks in the role of pass-rushing specialist, accumulating 20 hurrries (fourth-most on the team) despite limited snaps. Speaking of pass-rushing specialists, Houston's first-round pick was [url="http://espn.go.com/nfl/player/_/id/14936/whitney-mercilus"]Whitney Mercilus[/url], who will back up outside linebacker [url="http://espn.go.com/nfl/player/_/id/12449/connor-barwin"]Connor Barwin[/url] for the time being. Mercilus' SackSEER projection ranked third among this year's crop of pass-rushers. [b] 18. [url="http://espn.go.com/nfl/team/_/name/cle/cleveland-browns"]Cleveland Browns[/url][/b] Last year, we had the Browns ranked sixth mostly on the strength of CB [url="http://espn.go.com/nfl/player/_/id/13249/joe-haden"]Joe Haden[/url], QB [url="http://espn.go.com/nfl/player/_/id/13199/colt-mccoy"]Colt McCoy[/url], RB [url="http://espn.go.com/nfl/player/_/id/11461/peyton-hillis"]Peyton Hillis[/url] and C [url="http://espn.go.com/nfl/player/_/id/12616/alex-mack"]Alex Mack[/url]. Haden (23) appeared to have a down year in 2011 by shutdown-cornerback standards, but his 18 passes defensed alongside zero interceptions was a massive statistical anomaly. Mack also did his part, giving up only .5 blown blocks sacks on the year. Unfortunately, at 26 years old, he no longer qualifies for our rankings. McCoy (25) and Hillis (26), however, regressed considerably, so the team drafted [url="http://espn.go.com/nfl/player/_/id/14878/brandon-weeden"]Brandon Weeden[/url] to unseat McCoy and [url="http://espn.go.com/nfl/player/_/id/14884/trent-richardson"]Trent Richardson[/url] to replace Hillis, who signed with Kansas City. Our Lewin Career Forecast projects Weeden as the fifth-best quarterback prospect in this year's draft, but his age (28) and slow release are concerns. However, the 2012 draft also produced RT [url="http://espn.go.com/nfl/player/_/id/14951/mitchell-schwartz"]Mitchell Schwartz[/url], who will step into the starting lineup immediately. [img]http://a.espncdn.com/i/teamlogos/nfl/med/trans/bal.gif[/img] [b] 19. [url="http://espn.go.com/nfl/team/_/name/bal/baltimore-ravens"]Baltimore Ravens[/url][/b] The Ravens are stacked with young guys who played a big role last year. RB[url="http://espn.go.com/nfl/player/_/id/11289/ray-rice"]Ray Rice[/url] is your headliner, but CB [url="http://espn.go.com/nfl/player/_/id/13963/jimmy-smith"]Jimmy Smith[/url] (who was excellent in our charting stats last year), WR [url="http://espn.go.com/nfl/player/_/id/14032/torrey-smith"]Torrey Smith[/url], TE [url="http://espn.go.com/nfl/player/_/id/13272/ed-dickson"]Ed Dickson[/url] and DT [url="http://espn.go.com/nfl/player/_/id/13267/terrence-cody"]Terrence Cody[/url] also gave the team a lot of productive snaps. DE [url="http://espn.go.com/nfl/player/_/id/14202/pernell-mcphee"]Pernell McPhee[/url]generated a ton of pressure in limited action, and we even think T [url="http://espn.go.com/nfl/player/_/id/13999/jah-reid"]Jah Reid[/url] could develop into a decent player. The Ravens suffer a bit in the ratings because they just didn't give many snaps to youngsters outside of those seven. Still, that's an enviable young core, especially once LB [url="http://espn.go.com/nfl/player/_/id/14970/courtney-upshaw"]Courtney Upshaw[/url] is added to it. [b] 26. [url="http://espn.go.com/nfl/team/_/name/pit/pittsburgh-steelers"]Pittsburgh Steelers[/url][/b] Pittsburgh has spent heavily over the past few drafts in an attempt to fix its offensive line. Between C [url="http://espn.go.com/nfl/player/_/id/13250/maurkice-pouncey"]Maurkice Pouncey[/url], G [url="http://espn.go.com/nfl/player/_/id/14935/david-decastro"]David DeCastro[/url], T [url="http://espn.go.com/nfl/player/_/id/13998/marcus-gilbert"]Marcus Gilbert[/url] and T [url="http://espn.go.com/nfl/player/_/id/8133/mike-adams"]Mike Adams[/url], the Steelers might do the unthinkable: give [url="http://espn.go.com/nfl/player/_/id/5536/ben-roethlisberger"]Ben Roethlisberger[/url] enough time to throw a ball unmolested. Beyond that, though, much of the Steelers' value on this list is in running pieces such as [url="http://espn.go.com/nfl/player/_/id/11257/rashard-mendenhall"]Rashard Mendenhall[/url] and[url="http://espn.go.com/nfl/player/_/id/12506/david-johnson"]David Johnson[/url]. We think very highly of CB [url="http://espn.go.com/nfl/player/_/id/14109/cortez-allen"]Cortez Allen[/url] and DE [url="http://espn.go.com/nfl/player/_/id/12442/ziggy-hood"]Ziggy Hood[/url], but if they are the top two young players on your defense, that's a bit troubling. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bengals1181 Posted July 17, 2012 Report Share Posted July 17, 2012 thanks squirrel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
T-Dub Posted July 17, 2012 Report Share Posted July 17, 2012 [quote name='Squirrlnutz' timestamp='1342558802' post='1139313'] the Steelers might do the unthinkable: give [url="http://espn.go.com/nfl/player/_/id/5536/ben-roethlisberger"]Ben Roethlisberger[/url] enough time to throw a ball unmolested. [/quote] Let's hope so! The idea of "teh Ben" trying to read coverage instead of playing huck 'em - chuck 'em into a sea of unflagged OPI is music to my ears. Even he knows he's better at flailing until the play breaks down. Hit 'em in the mouth and they fall apart. After that it's just a matter of keeping your foot on their throat & hoping the refs feel like penalizing them when they lose their shit. They [i]always[/i] lose their shit at some point when they're down, but almost always get away with it. "Getting away with it" is the Pittsburgh way. They've built their entire shit-stained "dynasty" on it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jason Posted July 17, 2012 Report Share Posted July 17, 2012 [quote]the Steelers might do the unthinkable: give Ben Roethlisberger enough time to throw a ball [b]unmolested.[/b][/quote] Oh, the irony!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oldcat Posted July 18, 2012 Report Share Posted July 18, 2012 On their site in a comment they said that in Raw ratings the Bengals were #1 but were downticked because AJ Green and Dalton were both rookie last year and didn't have a track record. Seems like this isn't an issue when measuring the Patriots rookies and Pittsburgs rookies this year. And why they would even mention the 28 year old Weeden in the Browns essay is puzzling. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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