Last week, we reviewed the rookie IDPs on the defensive line. Now we'll look at the rookie linebackers...
In most IDP dynasty league rookie drafts, Arthur Brown as the first linebacker off the board. Drafted by the Baltimore Ravens late in the second round, Brown is a tough, hard-nosed player that many thought would step into the shoes left by the retiring Ray Lewis. The problem for Brown, and his IDP owners, was that Daryl Smith, who came to the team after spending his entire career to that point in Jacksonville, took over the MLB job and has been an excellent fit ever since....
So with Smith set in the middle, Brown's role has been delegated to that of a nickel role in support of Josh Bynes. A strained left pectoral injury has caused Brown to miss some time, which obviously hasn't helped his cause either. While there's still time for things to change this year, look for 2014 at the earliest for Brown to make a more significant impact...
Three linebackers were drafted in the first round. The first was Jarvis Jones, drafted by the Steelers with the 17th overall pick. Jones attended the University of Georgia and has become sort of a "co-starter" for the team. He sees plenty of snaps and his 15-2 tackles through 4 games is decent enough. Drafted mainly because of his pass rush skills, Jones has yet to obtain his first sack...
While Jones has probably made more of an impact on special teams than during regular play, his early playing time is a good sign, especially for a coach (defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau) who rarely gives his rookies this much time early on. But a good sign does not equate to an impact player, and Jones is no exception. His impact will be minimal the rest of this season, but if he can learn to let the game come to him more, Jones should have a good future...
The second linebacker chosen in the first round was Alec Ogletree, selected by the St. Louis Rams. Ogletree has been one of two linebackers (Kiko Alonso is the other) to have made a true impact in 2013. With 33-4 tackles and a pair of forced fumbles, Ogletree has performed like a LB3. While Ogletree continues to play plenty of snaps, including on special teams, he also has made his share of mistakes. The outlook for 2013 and forward remains very positive for Ogletree and he's farther ahead than most rookies at this point. With any luck, he will begin to minimize his mistakes more and more and turn them into plays...
The next linebacker drafted was Manti Te'o (Manti Te'o). With college stats to be admired, Te'o found himself in personal situations not to be admired. Without going into too much detail, as I'd imagine most readers are aware of his story, one example of this is that in his first road game, against the Raiders last week, certain fans decided to boldly memorialize his fake girlfriend's "death" with a banner...
An injured foot in preseason resulted in Te'o missing the first 3 regular season games, but after a gradual start against the Cowboys, where Te'o was limited to 14 snaps, the team tripled his snaps against the Raiders. He finished with 2-3 tackles. Despite all of the rhetoric, look for Te'o to continue to play more and make a significant contribution in 2013. From what little I've seen from Te'o as a pro, I think he'll be a legit IDP starter...
Kevin Minter, drafted in the mid-second round by Arizona, was initially expected by many to be a starter in 2013, alongside Daryl Washington. That hasn't quite panned out. It hasn't helped that Minter has been nicked up a bit, as recently he has been bothered by some hamstring issues, but he remains a good player on special teams. Even though he's only 6'0" tall, Minter hits hard and should eventually earn a starting role, but I'd bet on that happening in 2014 and not this year. While he was a three down player in college, there's no guarantee he'll be the same in the pros. Hold onto him in dynasty leagues...
By far the most productive rookie linebacker has been Kiko Alonso. Drafted by Buffalo in the second round, Alonso earned a starting, every down role in camp and hasn't looked back. While he's been prone to making errors and disappearing from some plays, he also has had his share of big plays. With a stat line that reads 23-21 tackles, 4 interceptions, a sack, a forced fumble and a recovered fumble, Alonso should treat his IDP owners right for a long time, especially once he settles down even more from rookie mistakes...
Yet another linebacker drafted in the second round was Jamie Collins. The Patriots selected him after witnessing his high level of production at Southern Miss. Collins is a bit of a tweener in the pros, as he is not quite a natural pass rush linebacker and not quite a defensive end. The Patriots are bringing him along very slowly at linebacker. He could begin to start seeing more time, but look for next year or the one after for him to make any kind of impact. Quick note as of this writing, Collins appeared to be AWOL at the team's practice Thursday...
The highest drafted rookie linebacker was Barkevious Mingo, chosen by Cleveland with the 6th overall draft pick. Drafted later than those linebackers above in most IDP leagues, Mingo presented as more of a situational pass rusher. The good news is that even with limited snaps Mingo has 3 sacks in just 4 games. The bad news is that he's still very raw and needs to improve plenty before even thinking about playing every snap...
Until next week…
If you have any comments or thoughts, please send me a message at baker@footballguys.com
