As the NFL enters Week 7, one of the league’s headlines remains stellar rookie play. Many have jump-started their careers in impressive fashion, like Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott.
He’s shined, and has furthered his case to remain the starter when Tony Romo returns from injury. The Cowboys (5-1) could easily be 6-0, considering their only loss was by a single point in Week 1 against the New York Giants. Also, Prescott recently broke Tom Brady’s record for most pass attempts without an interception to start an NFL career, with 163.
Prescott has been the most important piece of the Cowboys season thus far. That being said, he’s had plenty of help from the fourth overall pick in last year’s draft, rookie running back Ezekiel Elliott.
The Ohio State product seems to get better and better every week. Elliott has rushed for 130 yards or more in four games, including 157 against Green Bay — the league’s top-rated rush defense — this past weekend.
Another first-year standout this season has been Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Carson Wentz. Many Eagles fans thought this year would be dismal for their team as they traded away a number of key pieces, among them projected quarterback Sam Bradford. Many then thought they’d start quarterback Chase Daniel, who accompanied first-year head coach Doug Pedersen from the Kansas City Chiefs.
Instead, the second overall pick in the 2016 draft out of North Dakota State University, Carson Wentz, led the Eagles under center Week 1. He hasn’t looked back since. Wentz received NFC Offensive Player of the Week honors after his Week 3 performance against the in-state rival Pittsburgh Steelers, where he went passed for 301 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions.
The NFL isn’t the only place we’ve seen rookies making an immediate impacts, though. Especially this year, younger players have been making a more instant impact throughout the four major sports.
The Toronto Maple Leafs rebuilding process has made substantial progress since Mike Babcock took over at head coach. This past offseason, they drafted highly-touted prospect Auston Matthews first overall. The 19-year-old Arizona native did not disappoint in his debut, as he recorded a remarkable four-goals — an NHL modern era record for most goals scored in a first career game.
Teammate Mitchell Marner scored the first goal of his young career three nights later in Toronto’s home opener against the hometown Bruins. Expect the Maple Leafs to rely heavily on production from their rookies this season. In fact, they became the first team in the expansion era to have rookies combine for each of their first six goals. Even though it is still very early on, the Leafs’ kids do appear ready to take on the challenge.
Last Saturday night, five rookies throughout the league scored goals, and two others (Konecny and Arizona Coyotes defenseman Jakob Chychrun) recorded assists.
While the NFL and the NHL are chock-full of rookie talent, the MLB also has its fair share of rookie talent, and the NBA seems like it will have plenty when the regular season starts in less than a week.
Colorado Rockies shortstop Trevor Story started the year red-hot, and ended with a very respectable .272 BA, 27 home runs, and 72 RBIs before his season was cut short due to injury. Yankees catcher Gary Sanchez was absolutely dominant after his call-up to the big leagues, as he put up 20 home runs and 42 RBIs in just 53 MLB games. (For reference, if he kept that pace over 162 games, he would produce 72 HRs and 143 RBIs.)
Out west, Dodgers rookie shortstop Corey Seager dominated all season long. His .308 average was good for seventh in the National League, and his 72 RBIs are tied for first among rookies. While Seager’s postseason production has dropped off significantly, he is just 22 years old, and has a long future of MLB success ahead of him.
The Philadelphia 76ers (and the NBA as a whole) suffered a major blow when first overall pick Ben Simmons fractured his foot in practice. As the Sixers are already well aware, foot injuries are no joke — especially among bigger players.
Despite Simmons’s unfortunate injury, the NBA still has a deep pool of rookie talent. Fellow 76er Joel Embiid has stayed healthy all preseason, and has run a clinic displaying his strength and athleticism. If he stays healthy, he’ll be fun to watch all year.
Kobe Bryant and Tim Duncan; Derek Jeter and David Ortiz; Peyton Manning and Calvin Johnson; Martin St. Louis and Nicklas Lidstrom. Over the past few years, many of the legends I grew up watching have retired.
The future of sports is now, and it’s time we got excited about it.
