Class of 2020: Rookie Recap – NFC South

Our final rookie recap of the 2020 season moves us to the NFC South – home of the Superbowl Champions! But did the Bucs finish top of the table for their rookie picks? 

DEAD LAST: NEW ORLEANS SAINTS

Coming in dead last in the South are the Saints. With a mighty haul of three picks, you would have expected the Saints to do something memorable with their choices. However, one of them has already left the team. 

OFFENSIVE PLAYERS

Picks: Adam Trautman (TE, Dayton: 3rd round, 105th pick); Tommy Stevens (QB, Mississippi State: 7th round, 240th pick)

That departed player is Tommy Stevens, the seventh-round pick from Mississippi State. The Quarterback now plies his trade in Carolina after being released from the New Orleans practice squad in September. He even got a run out against his former team in Week 17, with 4 runs for 24 yards. In my eyes, this counts a negative fantasy value for the Saints. 

In a way, its fortunate that Adam Trautman made a little bit more of an impression. With injuries to key offensive personnel, the Tight End may have thought that an opportunity was presenting itself. However, the Saints relied heavily on their Running Back group to do the damage. And, with notorious runner Taysom Hill calling some of the shots, that stretched over to the passing game as well. As a result, Trautman and the other passing pieces were left short in production. 

The rookie out of minor college Dayton saw 16 targets over the season, catching 15 of them for 171 yards and a touchdown. Some reliable hands, but ones that weren’t used often in 2020. It brings the net value of the Saints’ offensive rookies above zero, but not by much. 

DEFENSIVE PLAYERS

Picks: Zack Baun (LB, Wisconsin: 3rd round, 74th pick)

Baun was the only defensive pick for the Saints in 2020. The Linebacker joined an already strong defensive group, seeing low defensive snaps as a consequence. He did contribute regularly on special teams, but picking up fantasy points is rare from that position. And he failed to add any fantasy relevance to the Saints DST. 

MOVING ON FAST: ATLANTA FALCONS

In third position are the Falcons, who had slightly more picks than the Saints – but spend their seventh rounder on a punter. 

OFFENSIVE PLAYERS

Picks: Sterling Hofrichter (P, Syracuse: 7th round, 228th pick)

…and when the only offensive rookie pick that you make is a punter, its very unlikely that you’re going to add any fantasy relevance to your team. That was certainly the case with the Falcons. And while their seventh round pick didn’t miss a single regular season game, he obviously didn’t score any fantasy points. 

DEFENSIVE PLAYERS

Picks: AJ Terrell (CB, Clemson: 1st round, 16th pick); Marlon Davidson (DE, Auburn: 2nd round, 47th pick); Mykal Walker (LB, Fresno State: 4th round, 119th pick); Jaylinn Hawkins (S, California: 4th round, 134th pick)

However, the defensive rookie picks proved more fruitful. First round selection AJ Terrell played 14 games, starting all of them. And he gave the biggest rookie contribution to the unit – making some big defensive plays. Three forced fumbles and an interception were invaluable to a team who finished 23rd overall in fantasy points. 

Linebacker Mykal Walker added another forced fumble during his 16 appearances, and Jaylinn Hawkins added in half a sack. 

GETTING A PASS: TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS

This could be a controversial stance to take, but the Buccaneers come in second place. Especially if And for this, I direct you back to one of my first articles…

OFFENSIVE PLAYERS

Picks: Ke’Shawn Vaughn (RB, Vanderbilt: 3rd round, 76th pick); Tyler Johnson (WR, Minnesota: 5th round, 161st pick); Raymond Calais (RB, Louisiana-Lafeyette: 7th round, 245th pick)

One of my first 5 Yard article series was about teams’ vacated carries. The third in the series focused on the Bucs. Players who had left after the 2019 season were responsible for 43.71% of the carries made that year. That left a HUGE hole for players to come in and take advantage. For some, Ronald Jones was due to get a big uptick in production. But there were fans and analysts alike who saw big things in third-rounder Ke’Shawn Vaughn. He was the one to steal the lead job and bring huge fantasy value for those who took him. Some were trying to get ahead of the trend, taking him as highly as 6.01 in normal drafts. 

But just weeks before the season, and likely days after many drafts, the bubble burst. Tampa brought in established veteran Leonard Fournette to partner up with RoJo, and Vaughn’s stock value plummeted. 

This had followed months of speculation that Vaughn could be the guy. That, combined with no big signings at the position, meant that the hype bubble was at its biggest when it popped. It was a disaster for all those who had taken a shot. 

The rookie Running Back made one significant appearance in fantasy season – a Week 16 match against the Lions. But the 15 carries in that game were far more than he had seen in the previous 14 games. And those who took Vaughn at the 6.01 will have felt that regret from the moment Playoff Lenny signed on the line. 

JOHNSON AND CALAIS

There was slightly more success to be found with one of the other two offensive rookie picks. Tyler Johnson managed to out perform his predicted Sleeper points in 6 out of his 14 games, but he was only ever used as a bit part.

However, when you’re down the pecking order behind players like Mike Evans, Chris Godwin and Rob Gronkowski, you take what you can get. And his two touchdowns could have helped somebody in a very deep league. 

But Raymond Calais, like Vaughn, was left in the dust by the Fournette addition. He ended up at the Rams not long after being drafted, and added no fantasy value to the team that drafted him. 

DEFENSIVE PLAYERS

Picks: Antoine Winfield (S, Minnesota: 2nd round, 45th pick); Khalil Davis (DT, Nebraska: 6th round, 194th pick); Chapelle Russell (LB, Temple: 7th round, 241st pick)

The Bucs defensive unit was as solid as ever, and amongst some standout veterans, Antoine Winfield held his own. The second round pick contributed three sacks, as well as an interception, two forced fumbles and a fumble recovery. The rookie played nearly 1000 snaps across 16 regular season games, and has embedded himself in history with THAT clapback celebration over Tyreek Hill. 

Points-wise, he was the only rookie contributor on that defense, as Khalil Davis and Chapelle Russell only played two games each. Both played barely any snaps, leaving Winfield as the only one to make a significant impact. 

TOP OF THE CLASS: CAROLINA PANTHERS

Honestly, it’s not because they’re my team. Matt Rhule made significant decisions in his first NFL draft. Taking only defensive players was a bold move, but one I believe helped the Panthers’ defensive unit have fantasy relevance once again. 

OFFENSIVE PLAYERS

Picks: None!

Nothing more to say here!

DEFENSIVE PLAYERS

Picks: Derrick Brown (DT, Auburn: 1st round, 7th pick); Yetur Gross-Matos (DE, Penn State: 2nd round, 38th pick); Jeremy Chinn (S, Southern Illinois: 2nd round, 64th pick); Troy Pride (CB, Notre Dame: 4th round, 113th pick); Kenny Robinson (S, West Virginia: 5th round, 152nd pick); Bravvion Roy (DT, Baylor: 6th round, 184th pick); Stantley Thomas-Oliver (CB, Florida Int: 7th round, 221st pick)

The returns that Matt Rhule got back from his defensive rookie picks justified his choice. Five of the seven picks played over 10 games – including 15 games for sixth-round Defensive Tackle Bravvion Roy. The rookie from Baylor even managed to bag a sack in his first season as a Panther. 

The only players who had more games than Roy were his positional partner Derrick Brown – and superstar safety Jeremy Chinn. Brown too managed to get himself a pair of sacks to add to the total, but it was Chinn who was the breakout candidate. 

Belying his second round pick, the safety started explosively, picking up 23.9 points in his first year. It was the highest IDP return for a rookie without taking tackles into consideration. Those included two quickfire defensive touchdowns against the Vikings, two forced fumbles and recoveries, a sack and an interception. He scored more points than many teams’ entire selection of draft picks. It ensured Chinn was a hot property on many IDP rosters. 

BIG ROOKIE PERCENTAGE

Combined all three players’ contributions with Yetur Gross-Matos’ 3.5 fantasy points, they ensured 30.5% of the Panthers’ DST fantasy points came from rookies. Which, considering the unit lost vital components after 2019, makes this even more impressive. Having to operate without players like Luke Kuechly would have been hard enough. So to stem the drop of fantasy points to just 19 less than last season is a great result. 

Their efforts also helped the Carolina defensive unit jump up to 16th overall in DST points scored in 2020, ensuring they are a team to keep an eye on next year. 

RANKINGS RECAPS:

DEAD LAST: NEW ORLEANS SAINTS

MOVING ON FAST: ATLANTA FALCONS

GETTING A PASS: TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS

TOP OF THE CLASS: CAROLINA PANTHERS

Thankyou for reading my rookie recap articles. By this time next week, we should know which rookies land where. And we can start the recaps all over again!

Until then,

Keep Rushing!

Rob @5YardRob