Advertisement

10 defensive rookies in need of reboot for 2016 season

10 offensive players in need of sophomore season reboots

One day of practice – one torn ACL – and it was over for Dante Fowler Jr. His rookie season was wiped off the books before it ever began.

A little over one year later, the Jacksonville Jaguars' defensive end is starting over again, effectively giving the franchise two first-round picks to fold into the defense. But it can't be considered a reboot since Fowler wasn't on the field or in practice enough to show what he will bring to the table.

That's not the case for many of the other presumed defensive stars from Fowler's rookie class, several of whom struggled through uneven first seasons, failing to crack rotations or flunking drug tests. With some of those disappointments in mind, a handful of defensive rookies from the 2015 draft are looking for sophomore reboots.

Among the 10 most intriguing heading into next season …


Gregory was a major disappointment as a rookie. All of the potential problems with him came to fruition: difficulty maintaining weight, failed drug tests, overmatched at the line of scrimmage. The team was hoping he'd fall under the wing of Jeremy Mincey. Instead, he aligned himself closer to Greg Hardy. On the field, he rarely made an impact. Now he's facing a four-game suspension for failed drug tests. Probably no defensive player is facing a more perilous career path in Year 2 than Gregory. The Cowboys are hopeful he has hit rock bottom and they can rebuild him without Hardy in the meeting room, but with his failed drug tests, the margin of error for Gregory has plummeted to zero.


Shelton's rookie season wasn't a complete disaster, but he made almost no big plays during the season. For someone who was touted as having the ability to collapse the pocket from inside the offensive tackles, he ended up as more of a rotational run-plugging cog than anything else. Part of the problem was Shelton's weight and conditioning, which frustrated a coaching staff that had to find ways to roll him off the field to keep him from running on empty in the second half of games. He was too high of a draft pick (12th overall) to be a fat, mediocre space-eater. With the scheme change this season, the Browns want Shelton on the field for more snaps. And they want quality play in the manner of backfield disruption, sacks and turnovers. In response, Shelton has lost some weight this offseason and worked on getting stronger. At the very least, his opportunities should increase by remaining on the field.


Like Randy Gregory, Collins was a potential first-round pick who was shelled in the draft process by numerous red flags coming out of college. And like Gregory, one of those red flags was multiple failed drug tests. If he could get his act straight in the NFL, Atlanta would have scored a major coup in the second round. If he didn't, it would be a bumpy road. Again, like Gregory, it was the bumpy road. Collins wasn't impressive as a rookie, struggling with some tackling and coverage issues. He flashed at times, but was inconsistent and failed to make big plays. Worse yet, he tested positive for a performance-enhancing substance and was hit with a four-game suspension for the start of his second season. That leaves Atlanta short at the cornerback spot and looking for options, and firmly entrenches Collins in the potential bust category after only one year. Like Gregory, his margin for continued mistakes has already vanished.


Ray's rookie season wasn't bad. He had some nice moments but struggled with the fine-tuning that is required in transitioning to the NFL. This happened after a very impressive preseason, when it appeared Ray could end up playing a significant rotational role for the Broncos. With so many high-level veterans ahead of him, the opportunities were hard to come by. But Ray never really pushed to become a larger part of early-down defensive packages, adjusting to more intensive film study and also refining some of his techniques as the season went along. That resulted in him playing roughly 34 percent of the defensive snaps. He needed to get healthier (from a diet standpoint), stronger, study more and rely less on his athleticism to consistently make plays. He also needed confidence standing up at linebacker after being a college defensive end. Ray's response was to revamp his diet and workout routines this offseason, with an emphasis on more film work. The Broncos want to see a big step forward in 2016, possibly to the point of Ray doubling his defensive snap count. Whether he can pull that off remains to be seen.


Like Shane Ray, Dupree's rookie season was fairly solid. But he also wore down as the campaign dragged along, resulting in prolonged bouts of inconsistency in the second half of the season. His reset is more about the aspects of his game that need big steps forward. The Steelers needed sacks from Dupree in Year 1. He gave Pittsburgh a pressure element early on, but also left his rookie campaign realizing a need to get stronger and develop additional countermoves. That will help him finish his pressures, which where almost entirely predicated on speed and quickness. Like Ray, he has spent the offseason trying to get stronger and more nuanced in his technique. Ultimately, the Steelers want him to become a more complete player with his pass rushing, and a stronger player at the point of attack against the run. Dupree also has to show he can stay on the field in most of their packages and still maintain the stamina (physically and mentally) during a full season and playoff run.

Lump Beasley in with Shane Ray and Bud Dupree, another guy who had some nice flashes as a rookie but needs more consistency. Beasley vanished at times and wasn't getting steady pressure on the quarterback. Like Ray and Dupree, there were extenuating circumstances for the Falcon. Beasley played through a torn labrum in his first year. He also appeared to be playing out of position, manning a defensive end spot despite having the size (240 pounds) and skills to thrive as a bigger outside linebacker. The Falcons recognized the ladder, creating a bit of a positional reboot for Beasley. Now Atlanta will move him to the strong side linebacker spot, hoping to use him as a hybrid linebacker and defensive end depending on the package. Think of how the Seattle Seahawks utilized Bruce Irvin at linebacker. That's what the Falcons have in mind. For that to happen, Beasley must get stronger and maybe a little heavier.


As rough seasons go for highly drafted NFL cornerbacks, Waynes' struggles ranked with some of the worst. There were a few embarrassing moments in coverage and his sense for ball location was less than stellar at times. The Vikings hoped he could be slowly worked in and eventually overtake veteran corner Terence Newman. That never happened. While Newman played better than anticipated, it had plenty to do with Waynes needing far more development than initially thought. The coaching staff might deny that, but Waynes was still inconsistent in coverage. By the end of the season, he was mostly a special teams player and more of bit player in the secondary. It was clear he wasn't ready to be a starting cornerback as a rookie, and had an immense amount of work to do. With an offseason focused on preparation and technique, the Vikings are now counting on Waynes contributing this season.


After surprisingly falling into the third round of the NFL draft, Dawson had a monster preseason for the Bengals and appeared poised to be a significant contributor at linebacker. Particularly with Vontaze Burfict recovering from surgery. But his opportunity never really materialized, due to a solid and experienced veteran rotation of linebackers that kept him off the field. Dawson also had plenty of refining to do with his technique, as the coaching staff pushed him to fight through blocks than run around them. Basically, the staff wanted Dawson's game to become more balanced between strength and quickness. In response to that critique, he spent more time in Cincinnati this offseason, working on the strength of his hands and shedding technique. The Bengals cut A.J. Hawk this offseason but Dawson still hasn't been guaranteed an expanded role. The coaching staff would like him to become a more significant contributor beyond his special teams work as a rookie. Still, he's going to have to earn in the offseason program and preseason.


Leave it to the Patriots to take a safety in the second round and spend a season developing him on special teams. That's what New England did with Richards, whose reboot is less about his play and more about the Patriots finding a way to expand his role in the defense. Richards was a head-scratcher of a draft pick, considering the elite nature of the Patriots' safeties. But the team is always looking for smart players in the secondary and fiscal flexibility down the road. It became more apparent during the season that Richards might be more of a draft-and-stash player than anything else. He was certainly valuable on special teams, but New England will seek to get him some more quality experience in defensive packages. Although he brings depth, the idea is to have him ready to take a much larger role after 2016. And the Patriots can't do that without actually getting him more consistent playing time.


The Giants needed Odighizuwa last season. With Jason Pierre-Paul's hand injury and the general lack of pass rush within the defensive scheme, he had a world of opportunity. Unfortunately, he couldn't get himself healthy for the larger part of the season. Unlike Dante Fowler, it wasn't one catastrophic injury for Odighizuwa. Instead, it was a series of nagging foot and hamstring ailments that limited him to only four games and basically destroyed the continuity of his rookie year. Even when he was finally healthy and eligible to come off of short-term injured reserve, the Giants shelved him for the season finale. That ended a lost year and parlayed into a free agency where defensive end Olivier Vernon was brought into the fold and Pierre-Paul was re-signed. Now the coaching staff is looking at Odighizuwa and telling him to start over and prove himself in the offseason program, almost as if he's a rookie all over again.

Podcast: Redskins name change, 80s wrestling, OJ & more:

Grandstanding: A Yahoo Sports podcast
Subscribe via iTunes or via RSS feed