Predicting Every NFL Team's Surprise Rookie Gem By Dan Hope May 26, 2015 
Mark D. Smith-USA TODAY Sports Former Oklahoma tight end Blake Bell could make a rookie impact for the San Francisco 49ers in 2015. It wasn’t too long ago that with the exception of top draft picks, rookie seasons in the NFL were viewed as developmental years. In the modern, less patient NFL, every rookie is expected to contend for immediate playing time—and potentially emerge as a gem for his team—in order to secure his status with the organization going forward.This trend ratchets up the pressure on first-year players—many of whom are not yet ready to be successful at the professional level—to prove themselves immediately. The good side of that for rookies, however, is that they typically get opportunities to demonstrate their skills right away, even if they were late-round picks or undrafted free agents, so long as they make the regular-season roster.Given that, rookies on every NFL team have a chance to be surprise standouts in 2015. While virtually all first- and second-round picks will be expected to get on the field and begin to make an impact in Year 1, there will also be plenty of other league newcomers who become positive contributors to their new organizations.The following slides highlight one rookie on each roster who has a real chance to exceed expectations in 2015, taking into account both the player's skill set and where he is likely to slot in on the depth chart.Players selected in Rounds 1 or 2 were not considered for inclusion, and the exclusion of other rookies not drafted in those rounds should not be viewed as an expectation that those rookies will not be productive, unless such is stated in the slide. The potential surprise rookie gem chosen for each team is one player—though not necessarily the only first-year player—in each team’s class who realistically projects to be productive but was drafted lower or might not be as noteworthy as some of the other rookies on his team.Atlanta Falcons: WR Justin Hardy
James Guillory-USA TODAY Sports The Atlanta Falcons rookie class is full of players with the potential to be instant contributors. Of all of them, the one who might be in the best position to start outperforming his draft position right away is fourth-round pick (No. 107 overall) Justin Hardy.Hardy, the Football Bowl Subdivision’s all-time leader in receptions, is a natural fit to replace Harry Douglas as Atlanta’s No. 3 receiver. Ideally suited to play from the slot, Hardy should fit in greatly as a complement to outside receivers Julio Jones and Roddy White.Hardy lacks the size (5'10", 192 lbs) and speed (4.56 40-yard dash) that NFL teams look for in outside wideouts—which is why he fell to the draft’s third day—but he is a savvy player. He runs clean routes, is a consistent pass-catcher and has enough change-of-direction agility to extend plays down the field.In any competition the Falcons might have for the No. 3 receiver job, Hardy should have the upper hand. Devin Hester is much better as a return specialist than he is as a receiver, while free-agent signing Leonard Hankerson has just 81 receptions for 1,081 yards in four NFL seasons.Hardy is not likely to be a big-play weapon in the NFL, but he should be a reliable intermediate target from the get-go. His learning curve as a rookie should be significantly less steep than that of most players drafted outside the top 100.Carolina Panthers: CB Garry Peters
Sam Greenwood/Getty Images Over the past few years, the Carolina Panthers’ modus operandi at the cornerback position has been to bring in late-round draft picks or undrafted free agents and try to find gems. 2012 fifth-round pick Josh Norman, 2013 undrafted rookie Melvin White and 2014 fifth-round pick Bene Benwikere have all stepped in to play significant roles in the secondary.Garry Peters, an undrafted signing from Clemson this year, could be next in line.The Panthers’ results with those players have been lukewarm, which leaves the door for another unheralded cornerback to come in and quickly earn playing time, potentially even to compete for a starting job. Peters has enough coverage skill to make that happen.He didn’t make many highlight-reel plays at Clemson, but his performance was consistent. Pro Football Focus, in its first year evaluating NFL draft prospects, actually graded Peters’ 2014 season as the best of any cornerback in the 2015 draft class.A 6’0”, 191-pound cornerback who ran a 4.61-second 40-yard dash, Peters has limited physical upside. Nonetheless, his technical ability should give him a good shot of making the roster and getting on the field for a team that lacks top-end defensive back talent.New Orleans Saints: OLB/DE Davis Tull 
Needing to add a spark to their pass rush in this year’s draft, the New Orleans Saints used two of their choices to select edge defenders. They used a second-round pick (No. 44 overall) on Hau’oli Kikaha, who led the Football Bowl Subdivision with 19 sacks in 2014, but it’s possible Davis Tull, whom they selected with a fifth-round pick (No. 148 overall), could end up making a bigger impact in 2015.Like Kikaha, Tull also had outstanding production in his collegiate career—he just did it at a lower level. A three-time Southern Conference Defensive Player of the Year for Tennessee-Chattanooga, he finished his four-year career in the Football Championship Subdivision with 60 total tackles for loss, including 37 sacks.Those numbers, in themselves, indicate his ability to win off the edge and make plays in the backfield. But while Kikaha’s production came against better teams than Tull and is the more skilled pass-rusher of the two at this point, Tull is the significantly more explosive athlete of the two.He wowed at the NFL Scouting Combine, where he went 42.5 inches in the vertical jump and 11 feet in the broad jump and followed it up with a 4.57-second 40-yard dash at his pro day, according to NFL.com. He is undersized for an edge defender at only 6’2” and 246 pounds, but his combination of athleticism, pass-rushing moves, ability to bend and tenacity makes him a good fit for New Orleans’ hybrid defensive scheme, in which he can play outside linebacker.If only as a situational pass-rusher for Year 1, the door is open for at least one of the Saints’ rookie edge defenders to play a significant role in the rotation this year. Kikaha will get every opportunity to carve out his role, given that the team used one of its prime draft picks to select him, but Tull should push him and the rest of the Saints’ edge players for playing time.Tampa Bay Buccaneers: WR Kenny Bell
Nati Harnik/Associated Press The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have two terrific pass-catching weapons in outside wide receivers Vincent Jackson and Mike Evans, but as they move to a more pass-oriented offense with No. 1 overall pick quarterback Jameis Winston, they need to also find a No. 3 wide receiver who can move all over the formation and get open to make plays.Tampa Bay’s fifth-round pick, Kenny Bell, might well net the team that player. The No. 162 overall selection in this year’s draft, he is a fast and fluid receiver who has the skills to end up significantly outperforming his draft position.Bell combines his top-end speed with agility, and he has a proven ability from his time at Nebraska to elevate for high throws and haul in tough catches. He has the body control to contort his body in midair and make challenging plays on the ball, even when he is covered.Even though he does not fit the traditional mold for the slot receiver position, Bell still projects as the Buccaneers’ best candidate to fill that role, and one who can be successful in doing so. He needs to exhibit improvement this summer as a route-runner, but he is a stronger pass-catcher than Robert Herron and a better athlete than Louis Murphy.Ultimately, Bell’s most important step to making an impact as a rookie will be developing a rapport with Winston. Having been the new quarterback’s roommate during rookie minicamp, he appears to be off to a good start.For every team.....link
