ZootedGranny
07-15-2010, 12:42 PM
http://insider.espn.go.com/nfl/insider/news/story?page=FootballOutsiders2010OrganizationalRankings&action=login&appRedirect=http%3a%2f%2finsider.espn.go.com%2fnfl%2finsider%2fnews%2fstory%3fpage%3dFootballOutside rs2010OrganizationalRankings
Talent is a more fluid proposition in football than any other sport. Consider some of the prominent young wide receivers of last season and where they were before the 2009-10 campaign. Sidney Rice was third on the Minnesota Vikings' depth chart at wide receiver; had the team's pitch to T.J. Houshmandzadeh in free agency worked, Rice would have been buried behind him. Robert Meachem was a colossal bust who had 12 catches in two pro seasons. Miles Austin was stuck behind Sam Hurd as the primary backup for the Dallas Cowboys. Pierre Garcon was a lower-level college star with a cool name.
This past season was nothing new; every year, teams are pushed to new heights by players who were considered to be inexperienced or underprepared only weeks prior. Flaws attributed to talent magically disappear with playing time, first-team practice reps and confidence. Our Top 25 Prospects list attempts to identify those individual players lurking at the bottom of NFL rosters who are likely to emerge as valuable players in 2010, but our Organizational Rankings take a different approach.
Instead of limiting our analysis to players who have yet to emerge in the NFL, these rankings consider all players who will be 25 or younger as of September 1, 2010 -- regardless of where they were drafted or how many games they've started. After compiling a list of eligible players for each team, we compared the groups on a variety of factors. We weighed issues like upside versus established production, quantity versus quality, and current staff versus historical ability to develop rookies when it comes to evaluating the talent available to each NFL franchise.
In the end, we put together these rankings with help from the rest of the crew at Football Outsiders. The capsules represent a synopsis of thoughts as to why the team is ranked where they are and who the important young players are for the franchise. However, we should point out that talent under the age of 25 does not equal talent overall. In the NFL, a couple bounces of the ball can turn an average team into a wild-card contender -- but it takes real time to build a team that can challenge for a Super Bowl title. Some of the teams near the top of our list are still a couple of years away from that point, and their rank is more about promise for the future than promise for this upcoming campaign.
Consider some of the prominent young wide receivers of last season and where they were before the 2009-10 campaign. Sidney Rice was third on the Minnesota Vikings' depth chart at wide receiver; had the team's pitch to T.J. Houshmandzadeh in free agency worked, Rice would have been buried behind him. Robert Meachem was a colossal bust who had 12 catches in two pro seasons. Miles Austin was stuck behind Sam Hurd as the primary backup for the Dallas Cowboys. Pierre Garcon was a lower-level college star with a cool name.
This past season was nothing new; every year, teams are pushed to new heights by players who were considered to be inexperienced or underprepared only weeks prior. Flaws attributed to talent magically disappear with playing time, first-team practice reps and confidence. Our Top 25 Prospects list attempts to identify those individual players lurking at the bottom of NFL rosters who are likely to emerge as valuable players in 2010, but our Organizational Rankings take a different approach.
Instead of limiting our analysis to players who have yet to emerge in the NFL, these rankings consider all players who will be 25 or younger as of September 1, 2010 -- regardless of where they were drafted or how many games they've started. After compiling a list of eligible players for each team, we compared the groups on a variety of factors. We weighed issues like upside versus established production, quantity versus quality, and current staff versus historical ability to develop rookies when it comes to evaluating the talent available to each NFL franchise.
In the end, we put together these rankings with help from the rest of the crew at Football Outsiders. The capsules represent a synopsis of thoughts as to why the team is ranked where they are and who the important young players are for the franchise. However, we should point out that talent under the age of 25 does not equal talent overall. In the NFL, a couple bounces of the ball can turn an average team into a wild-card contender -- but it takes real time to build a team that can challenge for a Super Bowl title. Some of the teams near the top of our list are still a couple of years away from that point, and their rank is more about promise for the future than promise for this upcoming campaign.
3. Kansas City Chiefs
The secret isn't out yet in Kansas City, but it's about to be -- the Chiefs have one of the best developing cores of talent in the game. They're deepest in the secondary, where fifth-overall pick Eric Berry will play safety behind a strong young tandem of cornerbacks: Brandon Carr and Brandon Flowers. They will be joined by a fourth young starter, but incumbent Jarrad Page has requested a trade, which makes it likely that fifth-round pick Kendrick Lewis will start instead. Even nickelback Javier Arenas is a 22-year-old rookie. The front three features 2009 first-rounder Tyson Jackson and 2008 first-rounder Glenn Dorsey, though Dorsey has struggled to live up to the hype that surrounded him before the draft. The Chiefs also have an underrated group of developing players on offense, led by breakout star Jamaal Charles, who was the best running back in football during the second half of the 2009 season. Dwayne Bowe, for all his off-field antics, has shown a decent amount of promise despite playing alongside a litany of middling quarterbacks. He could be joined by 21-year-old Dexter McCluster, who will play the slot as a rookie after converting from running back during the offseason. Left tackle Branden Albert is a serviceable starter at worst, and third-round guard Jon Asamoah is likely to start in 2011. If Kansas City suddenly emerges in the league this year, guys like Charles, Carr, and Berry are going to be household names.
Talent is a more fluid proposition in football than any other sport. Consider some of the prominent young wide receivers of last season and where they were before the 2009-10 campaign. Sidney Rice was third on the Minnesota Vikings' depth chart at wide receiver; had the team's pitch to T.J. Houshmandzadeh in free agency worked, Rice would have been buried behind him. Robert Meachem was a colossal bust who had 12 catches in two pro seasons. Miles Austin was stuck behind Sam Hurd as the primary backup for the Dallas Cowboys. Pierre Garcon was a lower-level college star with a cool name.
This past season was nothing new; every year, teams are pushed to new heights by players who were considered to be inexperienced or underprepared only weeks prior. Flaws attributed to talent magically disappear with playing time, first-team practice reps and confidence. Our Top 25 Prospects list attempts to identify those individual players lurking at the bottom of NFL rosters who are likely to emerge as valuable players in 2010, but our Organizational Rankings take a different approach.
Instead of limiting our analysis to players who have yet to emerge in the NFL, these rankings consider all players who will be 25 or younger as of September 1, 2010 -- regardless of where they were drafted or how many games they've started. After compiling a list of eligible players for each team, we compared the groups on a variety of factors. We weighed issues like upside versus established production, quantity versus quality, and current staff versus historical ability to develop rookies when it comes to evaluating the talent available to each NFL franchise.
In the end, we put together these rankings with help from the rest of the crew at Football Outsiders. The capsules represent a synopsis of thoughts as to why the team is ranked where they are and who the important young players are for the franchise. However, we should point out that talent under the age of 25 does not equal talent overall. In the NFL, a couple bounces of the ball can turn an average team into a wild-card contender -- but it takes real time to build a team that can challenge for a Super Bowl title. Some of the teams near the top of our list are still a couple of years away from that point, and their rank is more about promise for the future than promise for this upcoming campaign.
Consider some of the prominent young wide receivers of last season and where they were before the 2009-10 campaign. Sidney Rice was third on the Minnesota Vikings' depth chart at wide receiver; had the team's pitch to T.J. Houshmandzadeh in free agency worked, Rice would have been buried behind him. Robert Meachem was a colossal bust who had 12 catches in two pro seasons. Miles Austin was stuck behind Sam Hurd as the primary backup for the Dallas Cowboys. Pierre Garcon was a lower-level college star with a cool name.
This past season was nothing new; every year, teams are pushed to new heights by players who were considered to be inexperienced or underprepared only weeks prior. Flaws attributed to talent magically disappear with playing time, first-team practice reps and confidence. Our Top 25 Prospects list attempts to identify those individual players lurking at the bottom of NFL rosters who are likely to emerge as valuable players in 2010, but our Organizational Rankings take a different approach.
Instead of limiting our analysis to players who have yet to emerge in the NFL, these rankings consider all players who will be 25 or younger as of September 1, 2010 -- regardless of where they were drafted or how many games they've started. After compiling a list of eligible players for each team, we compared the groups on a variety of factors. We weighed issues like upside versus established production, quantity versus quality, and current staff versus historical ability to develop rookies when it comes to evaluating the talent available to each NFL franchise.
In the end, we put together these rankings with help from the rest of the crew at Football Outsiders. The capsules represent a synopsis of thoughts as to why the team is ranked where they are and who the important young players are for the franchise. However, we should point out that talent under the age of 25 does not equal talent overall. In the NFL, a couple bounces of the ball can turn an average team into a wild-card contender -- but it takes real time to build a team that can challenge for a Super Bowl title. Some of the teams near the top of our list are still a couple of years away from that point, and their rank is more about promise for the future than promise for this upcoming campaign.
3. Kansas City Chiefs
The secret isn't out yet in Kansas City, but it's about to be -- the Chiefs have one of the best developing cores of talent in the game. They're deepest in the secondary, where fifth-overall pick Eric Berry will play safety behind a strong young tandem of cornerbacks: Brandon Carr and Brandon Flowers. They will be joined by a fourth young starter, but incumbent Jarrad Page has requested a trade, which makes it likely that fifth-round pick Kendrick Lewis will start instead. Even nickelback Javier Arenas is a 22-year-old rookie. The front three features 2009 first-rounder Tyson Jackson and 2008 first-rounder Glenn Dorsey, though Dorsey has struggled to live up to the hype that surrounded him before the draft. The Chiefs also have an underrated group of developing players on offense, led by breakout star Jamaal Charles, who was the best running back in football during the second half of the 2009 season. Dwayne Bowe, for all his off-field antics, has shown a decent amount of promise despite playing alongside a litany of middling quarterbacks. He could be joined by 21-year-old Dexter McCluster, who will play the slot as a rookie after converting from running back during the offseason. Left tackle Branden Albert is a serviceable starter at worst, and third-round guard Jon Asamoah is likely to start in 2011. If Kansas City suddenly emerges in the league this year, guys like Charles, Carr, and Berry are going to be household names.