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Gil Brandt - EJ Manuel, Geno Smith among criticized rookies primed to shine
In the interest of exploring that gap between perception and reality, I've identified five rookies who have attracted boatloads of early criticism but who have already shown, with their performance at rookie minicamps, that they're likely to outperform expectations. After prompting questions on draft day, these guys all look primed to contribute in their debut years.
EJ Manuel, QB, Buffalo Bills
16th overall, Florida State
Many question whether Manuel can live up to his lofty status as a top-20 pick (and the first quarterback drafted), but I think he'll eventually prove to be the franchise signal-caller Buffalo has long been looking for.
I've known Bills offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett since he was about 8 years old, when his father, Paul, was a coach for the Cowboys; I think he's a very knowledgeable person, someone who's got the look of a future head-coaching candidate. So I trust his opinion of Manuel -- whom he counts as a dynamic person.
Hackett was impressed with how well Manuel knew the playbook at the Bills' minicamp, with how much information he absorbed in a relatively short amount of time. He said Manuel was able to jump right into the huddle and start calling plays without any problems.
Hackett acknowledged that Manuel needs to improve his footwork, but he thinks some tweaking should solve those issues. Manuel did have a less-than-optimal completion rate of 68 percent last season -- and, as the rule of thumb when it comes to projecting how that number will translate to the NFL is to lower it by 10 percent, that is cause for concern. In an attempt to help him be more accurate, the Bills are having Manuel change how he holds the football.
While I think Manuel could definitely hack it as a first-year starter, I don't think they should push him. And I should say that Hackett thinks the longer a young quarterback is able to sit and learn in the early going, the better off he'll ultimately be. Still, he also pointed out that Manuel isn't afraid of anything.
In the interest of exploring that gap between perception and reality, I've identified five rookies who have attracted boatloads of early criticism but who have already shown, with their performance at rookie minicamps, that they're likely to outperform expectations. After prompting questions on draft day, these guys all look primed to contribute in their debut years.
EJ Manuel, QB, Buffalo Bills
16th overall, Florida State
Many question whether Manuel can live up to his lofty status as a top-20 pick (and the first quarterback drafted), but I think he'll eventually prove to be the franchise signal-caller Buffalo has long been looking for.
I've known Bills offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett since he was about 8 years old, when his father, Paul, was a coach for the Cowboys; I think he's a very knowledgeable person, someone who's got the look of a future head-coaching candidate. So I trust his opinion of Manuel -- whom he counts as a dynamic person.
Hackett was impressed with how well Manuel knew the playbook at the Bills' minicamp, with how much information he absorbed in a relatively short amount of time. He said Manuel was able to jump right into the huddle and start calling plays without any problems.
Hackett acknowledged that Manuel needs to improve his footwork, but he thinks some tweaking should solve those issues. Manuel did have a less-than-optimal completion rate of 68 percent last season -- and, as the rule of thumb when it comes to projecting how that number will translate to the NFL is to lower it by 10 percent, that is cause for concern. In an attempt to help him be more accurate, the Bills are having Manuel change how he holds the football.
While I think Manuel could definitely hack it as a first-year starter, I don't think they should push him. And I should say that Hackett thinks the longer a young quarterback is able to sit and learn in the early going, the better off he'll ultimately be. Still, he also pointed out that Manuel isn't afraid of anything.
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