It's time to revisit the rookie IDPs, starting once again on the defensive line...
It's safe to say that rookie defensive ends have not made much of an IDP impact. The sole exception to that has been DE Sheldon Richardson of the New York Jets. While Richardson has not had a sack in 5 games, he still has 26-24 tackles on the year to go with 2.5 sacks and a forced fumble...
Drafted with the 13th overall pick by the New York Jets, many believed Richardson would not fit well into their scheme. It also seemed doubtful he would play an every-down role. But he has proven his doubters wrong and is a candidate for rookie of the year honors. Also, Richardson is not exactly shy about his abilities. He has stated recently that he believes he is the best defensive player in the game. That's a tough argument to make when teammate and linemate Muhammad Wilkerson is better in my opinion, but I suppose tremendous confidence in one's abilities is better than no confidence...
The only other defensive lineman who has made any substantial impact in IDP leagues has been defensive tackle Chris Jones. The fact that Jones has made an impact is very surprising, to say the least. He was drafted in the sixth round of the draft by the Houston Texans. Houston waived him in their final set of cuts and New England tried to claim him, but Tampa Bay had a higher waive claim priority and got him instead. The Buccaneers waived him just over a week later and he finally landed with the Patriots...
It didn't seem likely Jones would play much of a role this year, but injuries to both Tommy Kelly and Vince Wilfork opened the door for him and Jones has not looked back. He is playing three downs more often than not, has 13-18 tackles and 5 sacks in just 7 games and has made a great argument to remain a starter even after Kelly and Wilfork return...
Another rookie DT, who happens to be playing next to Chris Jones on the Patriots line, is Joe Vellano. Like with Jones, Vellano stepped up after injuries to the starters and his 12-25 tackles on the season should at the very least keep IDP owners alert in leagues that must start at least one defensive tackle...
The next closest thing to a rookie defensive lineman IDP contributor has been DT Star Lotulelei. Considered at one time one of the top prospects, offense or defense, in the draft, Lotulelei's stock dropped when he pulled out of the NFL Combine with a possible heard condition. It turned out the possible heart condition was just a viral infection, but despite that being known long before the draft, Lotulelei was not drafted until the 14th overall pick...
Now Lotulelei is considered by some to be a frontrunner for defensive rookie of the year. Statistically, he is not exactly a DT1, as he only has 22-8 tackles and a pair of sacks, but he's certainly a big reason for the team's success this year and should be rostered in every IDP league, especially dynasty ones...
An example of a player's value skyrocketing after looking good at the combine is DE Dion Jordan. Taken with the third overall pick in the NFL draft by the Miami Dolphins, Jordan's 40-yard dash time excited plenty in Miami. But he has seen his playing time drop to almost nil and has not recorded a sack since the first week. The knock against Jordan is that he's weak against the run...
The Dolphins traded their first and a second rounder to move up to draft Jordan, so his lack of production is a hit on GM Jeff Ireland and with the recent media hype around the team (read: bullying), it's more than likely that there will be plenty of management changes next year. Those changes could mean more playing time in the future for Jordan, but if he really is as weak against the run as their coaches think, Jordan could end up as a huge bust...
A couple picks after Jordan was selected, the Detroit Lions drafted DE Ezekiel Ansah. Early on, Ansah was the highest producing rookie DE with 6-8 tackles, 3 sacks and 2 forced fumbles after 5 games. But Ansah saw a dip in his numbers with only 2-2 tackles and zero sacks in the following three games. After suffering an ankle injury against Dallas, Ansah has missed the last 2 games. He is currently listed as questionable and was limited in practice on Thursday...
I'm going to copy and paste what I wrote about Ansah earlier this season, as I think it's an interesting story and has me rooting for him, so here goes...
It's safe to say that Ansah had a late start to the game. Born in Ghana, Ansah played soccer and basketball in his youth. While playing in pickup basketball games in his youth, Ansah met some Mormon missionaries. They became friends (Ansah later was baptized in their Church of LDS) and they recommended to Ansah that if he really wanted to play basketball in college, he should give BYU a shot...
Ansah was accepted to BYU on an academic scholarship and tried out for the basketball team. Twice. He missed the cut both times. He then became a walk-on for the their track and field team and even ran a 10.91 in the one hundred meters. He finally made his way to playing football for the first time in his life and played three seasons there, although it wasn't until his senior season that he played regularly...
Until next week…
If you have any comments or thoughts, please send me a message at baker@footballguys.com