10. Nate Solder – OT, New England Patriots
You may not have heard his name much, especially compared to the nine guys following Solder on this list, but the young offensive lineman made a big impact for the Pats this year, starting 13 games and holding his own all season long. Solder should be a fixture on the New England offensive line for years to come. He received no post-season accolades or awards, but expect to see him become a yearly Pro Bowler in the future.
9. Tyron Smith – OT, Dallas Cowboys
Here’s another offensive lineman that truly impressed this season. Despite some injury issues, Smith was probably the best player on the Cowboys’ line in 2011. The USC graduate stepped up big time in his debut season, protecting quarterback Tony Romo to the best of his ability, though he did have some issues against the Eagles’ Jason Babin, but then again, who doesn’t? Based on Smith’s play, he will most likely be switched with fellow lineman Doug Free and placed on the left side of the line, given the duty of covering Romo’s blind side.
8. Julio Jones – WR, Atlanta Falcons
The Falcons knew it wasn’t a stretch trading five draft selections to the Browns in order to move up and take Jones sixth overall to complement Roddy White and give Matt Ryan another athletic target. In the last four games of the regular season, he brought in 20 receptions for 393 yards and six touchdowns. He averaged 17.8 yards per catch and played a big part in getting the Falcons into the playoffs with the fourth best record in the NFC. Julio Jones, Roddy White, and their quarterback, Matt Ryan, will be a trio to be reckoned with for years to come.
7. DeMarco Murray – RB, Dallas Cowboys
With the ‘Boys facing injury woes at the running back position, Murray was asked to start against the Rams in late October, and he took no time making his name known. On 25 carries, Murray picked up 253 yards, putting him ninth overall on the single game rushing yards list, just 43 yards behind record-holder Adrian Peterson. He continued to start even when Felix Jones returned and ended up with a very solid rookie campaign, averaging 5.5 yards per carry on his way to an 897-yard season in which he fumbled the ball just once. It looks like Dallas has found their feature running back.
6. A.J. Green – WR, Cincinnati Bengals
The first of two Bengals on this list, Green was without a doubt the best rookie wide receiver in 2011. He broke Cris Collinsworth’s franchise record for receiving yards by a rookie with 1,057 on 65 receptions, both numbers which led all rookies at the position this season. He was able to develop a rapport quickly with quarterback Andy Dalton, who’s also a rookie. Nobody expected such a young offense to produce, but Green and the Bengals get the last laugh as they made the playoffs. Though they lost, the Bengals have an extremely bright future and have found their replacement for Chad Ochocinco.
5. Aldon Smith – OLB, San Francisco 49ers
It seems that there weren’t very many busts drafted early in the first round this past offseason, as yet another top selection is on this list. Aldon Smith was not only one of the best rookies this season, but one of the best overall pass-rushers in the entire league. Patrick Willis now has some Pro Bowl company on the bruising 49ers’ defense. Smith was fifth in the NFL with 14 sacks, tying him with Ravens’ linebacker Terrell Suggs. There isn’t much else to say about Smith other than that he will only improve from this point forward. I wouldn’t be surprised if his name is mentioned in the same breath as Jason Babin, Jared Allen, and other top pass-rushers in a couple years.
4. Von Miller – OLB, Denver Broncos
Miller was the first linebacker to be drafted second overall since LaVar Arrington in 2000. There were lofty expectations for him. John Elway said of Miller that he’s “a type of guy that comes around every 10 years.” He forced a fumble on his first play, recorded his first sack the following week, has been named Defensive Player of the Week once since then, and was voted to the Pro Bowl. Miller had 64 tackles, 11.5 sacks, and two forced fumbles. He is an extremely physical and extremely smart player, and will be wreaking havoc on running backs, quarterbacks, and offensive linemen for a long time.
3. Andy Dalton – QB, Cincinnati Bengals
It’s not often that a quarterback drafted in the second round goes on to be a starter in his rookie season. Not only did Andy Dalton do that, but he played pretty damn well too, leading the Bengals to a playoff berth in a wild card spot. Dalton wasn’t very accurate, finishing with a 58.1 completion percentage, but he threw for a respectable 3,398 yards and 20 touchdowns with only 13 interceptions. Looking through each individual game, it’s tough to point out more than three or four bad games. Dalton was consistent from the start of the season and has a winning record to show for it. Dalton is now enshrined with Peyton Manning, Dan Marino, Charlie Conerly, and Cam Newton as the only rookies ever to throw 20+ touchdowns.
2. Patrick Peterson – CB, Arizona Cardinals
The fifth selection in the 2011 draft, Peterson was the only rookie voted to the All-Pro team. He tied an NFL record with four punt returns for touchdowns and set a rookie record with 699 punt return yards. Though he wasn’t given any honors for the position he was drafted to play, cornerback, that doesn’t mean Peterson didn’t play well and show a lot of potential that he could one day be a shutdown cornerback. He had 64 tackles, two interceptions, and 13 passes defensed. Though it wasn’t the season he hoped for in the defensive phase, his special teams play was explosive and game-changing, and any player that can break a game open like Peterson can is a great asset to have on a football team.
1. Cam Newton – QB, Carolina Panthers
In my mind, there is no argument that the best overall rookie this season was Cam Newton. I think that the numbers themselves don’t do it justice, but for starters: 4,051 passing yards, 21 passing touchdowns, 60 percent completion percentage, 706 rushing yards (5.6 yards per carry), and 14 rushing touchdowns. He has set more than 20 records in just 16 games. Some of the best include: most passing yards by a rookie in a single game (432), sixth quarterback in NFL history to throw for 400+ yards in back-to-back games, most rushing touchdowns and most passing touchdowns in a season by a rookie quarterback, and first player in NFL history to pass for 4,000+ yards and rush for 500+ yards.
The Panthers knew what they were doing when they selected Newton first overall in the draft. He had many doubters but proved them all wrong, and probably had the best rookie season in NFL history in the process. The Panthers have found their franchise quarterback in one of the most athletic players to make his way into the league in a long time.
