Every season, fans of every NFL team hope that a couple of their new draft picks come in and shine immediately, win starting roles, and contribute heavily in their rookie seasons.
Of course, in reality, that doesn't happen. But while some teams have the luxury of giving their rookies time to develop and learn the system, others don't.
Here are my top 5 rookies most needed to perform in 2010 by their respective teams.
Top 5 rookies most needed to perform in 2010
Sam Bradford, QB, St Louis Rams
In all likelihood, the Rams will be the first NFL team to have a rookie quarterback start a game for them this season. And, depending on how Matt Moore plays in Carolina and how the Matt Leinart-Derek Anderson combo performs in Arizona, they may also be the only team to start a rookie QB in 2010.
The good news for St. Louis is that that quarterback is Sam Bradford, the number one overall pick of the 2010 draft who, when healthy, was a stud at Oklahoma. He has a strong arm, can make all the throws and most importantly, is an extremely accurate passer.
Moreover, so far, he has earned rave reviews in training camp. He was also stellar in his first preseason start, shredding the Patriots secondary for 189 yards and 2 touchdowns.
The bad news for St. Louis is that rookie quarterbacks historically struggle when thrust into a starting role early on. Those struggles are only intensified when the rookie has a weak supporting cast around him (just ask David Carr).
With an inexperienced offensive line and a poor receiving corps (made all the weaker after number one receiver Donnie Avery was lost for the season in the second preseason game with a knee injury), many Rams fans would probably just be happy if Bradford can make it through the season with his health and confidence intact.
Gerald McCoy, DT, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The 2009 Tampa Bay defensive line was just awful. The Bucs finished dead last in the NFL in run defense, allowing a whopping 158.2 yards per game on the ground.
Fixing that problem was the focus of the off-season for Tampa Bay and therefore they were delighted to have Gerald McCoy, a former high school All-American and five-star recruit, fall into their laps at the third overall pick.
McCoy, another Oklahoma grad, was a three-year starter in Norman who had his best year as a senior, amassing 15 ½ tackles for loss, and six sacks.
Now the Bucs desperately need McCoy, along with fellow rookie Brian Price out of UCLA, to plug running lanes in the Tampa 2 defense.
Easier said than done in the NFC South -- which features three teams that run the ball well: the Panthers, Saints, and Falcons – but for the Tampa Bay to have any kind of recovery season, McCoy will have to adapt quickly to shedding blockers much bigger and more wily than the ones he faced in college.
C.J. Spiller, RB, Buffalo Bills
The Bills have been desperate for a offensive play-maker for a good few seasons now. They even welcomed the T.O. Show to town in 2009 with hopes of giving the team a bit more pizazz, an experiment that failed miserably.
Buffalo's first pick in this year's draft was C.J. Spiller out of Clemson, the consensus best available running back in the draft, who clocked a 4.27 40 at the combine.
With Marshawn Lynch (a first-round pick in '07) and Fred Jackson already in the backfield, many questioned whether the Bills should have addressed their needs at quarterback or offensive line with their first pick.
However, the Bills seemed positively prescient when both Jackson and Lynch got hurt during the preseason. Spiller took full advantage of the extra reps, showing America his potential by scoring three touchdowns, including one of the most electrifying plays of the preseason: a 31-yard touchdown run where he made three Colts defenders miss.
With his speed, burst and moves, Spiller could add a home-run ability to Buffalo's running game which could kick start their sleeping offense.
Kyle Wilson, CB, New York Jets
How much Kyle Wilson, a late first round pick out of Boise State, will be needed depends greatly on whether the Jets All-World cornerback Darelle Revis continues his protracted holdout. But with September here and Revis still not in camp, Wilson may well be starting at cornerback Week 1 opposite Antonio Cromartie against the Ravens.
Pretty big shoes to fill for Wilson: replacing the best player on the best defense in the NFL last season.
Wilson has impressed during training camp and preseason, moving ahead of Dwight Lowery on the New York's cornerback depth chart: should Revis end his holdout, Wilson is expected to be penciled in as the team's starting nickel corner.
Like the rest of New York's secondary, Wilson will benefit from the pressure the Jets fearsome pass-rush puts on quarterbacks. Nonetheless, the Jets opponents will go after him early and often, taking their passing game to his side of the field to gauge how talented he really is.
He'll have to be ready.
Koa Misi, OLB, Miami Dolphins
The Dolphins' football team is pretty solid across the board without really excelling in particular area. In a division featuring two of the AFC's best teams, the Jets and the Patriots, being solid doesn't cut it.
One area the Dolphins really wanted to improve was their pass-rush to get after Tom Brady, Mark Sanchez and co. They threw their hat in with Koa Misi with the 40th overall pick, a defensive lineman at Utah, who they plan to convert into a pass-rushing linebacker in their 3-4 defense.
Misi had 26 tackles for loss and 10.5 sacks over the course of his college career and the Dolphins liked his versatility and athleticism for their D.
But Miami needs linebackers who can get after the quarterback in their defensive scheme and because they don't have many others on their roster, they just might have to stick with Misi in their starting lineup as he gets used to the pace of the NFL.
What other rookies are going to be greatly needed by their teams this season? Chime in.
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