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RICK GOSSELIN / The Dallas Morning News
rgosselin@dallasnews.com
The best team in the NFL is also among the youngest teams -- and may be getting younger.
The New England Patriots , the AFC’s top seed with a 14-2 record, enter the playoffs Sunday with a roster that includes 23 players in their second-year or less. Coach Bill Belichick fortified his team with the NFL’s best draft in 2010, adding eight selections. Four became primary starters and one took over the punting chores.
In all, New England’s draft class started 57 games this season, tops in the NFL. The Patriots figure to build on their draft success in 2011 with six of the top 100 selections, two in each of the first three rounds.
First-round draft pick Devin McCourty was a walk-in starter for the Patriots at cornerback this season. He tied for second in the NFL with seven interceptions and was voted to the Pro Bowl.
New England had three second-round selections and all became primary starters: Rob Gronkowski at tight end, Jermaine Cunningham at outside linebacker and Brandon Spikes at inside linebacker.
Gronkowski caught 10 touchdowns passes, tops among NFL tight ends, and the two linebackers combined for 112 tackles in their 19 starts. Fourth-round tight end Aaron Hernandez started seven games and caught six TD passes, and fifth-rounder Zolton Mesko led all rookies with a net punting average of 38.4 yards.
League-wide, 46 draft picks became primary starters this season. Oakland and Tampa Bay joined the Patriots with four apiece. NFL rookies started 763 games total this season -- 57 more than last year.
Non-draft picks -- rookies who either signed out of college as free agents or were claimed on waivers -- started another 92 games in 2010. That group of players was led by halfback LeGarrette Blount, who became the NFL’s only rookie 1,000-yard rusher for the Buccaneers.
NFL ALL-ROOKIE TEAM
Offense (draft round in parenthesis)
QB -- Sam Bradford, St. Louis (1)
HB -- LeGarrette Blount, Tampa Bay (FA)
FB/TE -- Rob Gronkowski, New England (2)
WR -- Mike Williams, Tampa Bay (4)
WR -- Dez Bryant, Dallas (1)
TE -- Tony Moeaki, Kansas City (3)
RT -- Anthony Davis, San Francisco (1)
LT -- Rodger Saffold, St. Louis (2)
G -- Mike Iupati, San Francisco (1)
G -- Zane Beadles, Denver (2)
C -- Maurkice Pouncey, Pittsburgh (1)
Defense
DE -- Lamarr Houston, Oakland (2)
DE -- Carlos Dunlap, Cincinnati (2)
DT -- Ndamukong Suh, Detroit (1)
DT -- Tyson Alualu, Jacksonville (1)
MLB -- Rolando McClain, Oakland (1)
SLB -- Pat Angerer, Indianapolis (2)
ILB -- Daryl Washington, Arizona (2)
CB -- Devin McCourty, New England (1)
CB -- Joe Haden, Cleveland (1)
SS -- Eric Berry, Kansas City (1)
FS -- Earl Thomas, Seattle (1)
Special teams
K -- Clint Stitser, Cincinnati (FA)
P -- Zolton Mesko, New England (5)
KR -- Jacoby Ford, Oakland (4)
KC -- T.J. Ward, Cleveland (2)
2010 DRAFT SCOREBOARD
Here’s a chart of the 2010 NFL draft listing the number of picks by each team last April, the number of draftees who made the team, the number of draftees who became primary starters (8 games or more), the total number of starts by the rookie class, and finally the number of draft picks placed on reserve lists:
Team................Picks.......Roster............Starters........Starts........IR
N. England...........12.............8...................4...............57...........0
Kansas City...........7.............6...................2................51..........1
Tampa Bay............9 ............4...................4................50..........4
Oakland................9.............9...................4................49..........0
Denver.................9.............8...................3................43..........0
San Francisco........8.............8...................2................42..........0
St. Louis..............11.............7..................2................37...........2
Detroit..................6.............5...................2................35..........0
Philadelphia...........13............8...................1................34..........4
Cleveland...............8............5...................1................32..........1
Indianapolis............8............6...................3................28...........1
Seattle..................9............7...................2................27..........1
Carolina................10............9...................2................26..........1
Jacksonville............6.............4...................2................25..........2
Miami....................8.............5...................2................25..........1
Green Bay..............7.............4...................1................21..........3
Houston.................9............6....................1...............20...........2
Arizona..................7.............6...................1................19..........0
Atlanta..................7.............5...................1................19..........2
Pittsburgh.............10.............8...................1................17..........0
Cincinnati...............9.............6...................1................15...........1
Tennessee..............9.............6...................1................14..........1
Washington.............6.............4...................1................13..........0
Chicago..................6.............4...................1................12..........1
Minnesota...............8.............4...................0................12..........1
New Orleans............6.............4...................0.................9...........0
San Diego...............6.............3...................1.................9...........1
NY Jets..................4.............4...................0.................8............0
Buffalo...................9.............6...................0.................7............2
Baltimore................7.............5...................0.................4............2
Dallas....................7..............3..................0.................3............3
NY Giants...............7..............5..................0.................0............2
rgosselin@dallasnews.com
The best team in the NFL is also among the youngest teams -- and may be getting younger.
The New England Patriots , the AFC’s top seed with a 14-2 record, enter the playoffs Sunday with a roster that includes 23 players in their second-year or less. Coach Bill Belichick fortified his team with the NFL’s best draft in 2010, adding eight selections. Four became primary starters and one took over the punting chores.
In all, New England’s draft class started 57 games this season, tops in the NFL. The Patriots figure to build on their draft success in 2011 with six of the top 100 selections, two in each of the first three rounds.
First-round draft pick Devin McCourty was a walk-in starter for the Patriots at cornerback this season. He tied for second in the NFL with seven interceptions and was voted to the Pro Bowl.
New England had three second-round selections and all became primary starters: Rob Gronkowski at tight end, Jermaine Cunningham at outside linebacker and Brandon Spikes at inside linebacker.
Gronkowski caught 10 touchdowns passes, tops among NFL tight ends, and the two linebackers combined for 112 tackles in their 19 starts. Fourth-round tight end Aaron Hernandez started seven games and caught six TD passes, and fifth-rounder Zolton Mesko led all rookies with a net punting average of 38.4 yards.
League-wide, 46 draft picks became primary starters this season. Oakland and Tampa Bay joined the Patriots with four apiece. NFL rookies started 763 games total this season -- 57 more than last year.
Non-draft picks -- rookies who either signed out of college as free agents or were claimed on waivers -- started another 92 games in 2010. That group of players was led by halfback LeGarrette Blount, who became the NFL’s only rookie 1,000-yard rusher for the Buccaneers.
NFL ALL-ROOKIE TEAM
Offense (draft round in parenthesis)
QB -- Sam Bradford, St. Louis (1)
HB -- LeGarrette Blount, Tampa Bay (FA)
FB/TE -- Rob Gronkowski, New England (2)
WR -- Mike Williams, Tampa Bay (4)
WR -- Dez Bryant, Dallas (1)
TE -- Tony Moeaki, Kansas City (3)
RT -- Anthony Davis, San Francisco (1)
LT -- Rodger Saffold, St. Louis (2)
G -- Mike Iupati, San Francisco (1)
G -- Zane Beadles, Denver (2)
C -- Maurkice Pouncey, Pittsburgh (1)
Defense
DE -- Lamarr Houston, Oakland (2)
DE -- Carlos Dunlap, Cincinnati (2)
DT -- Ndamukong Suh, Detroit (1)
DT -- Tyson Alualu, Jacksonville (1)
MLB -- Rolando McClain, Oakland (1)
SLB -- Pat Angerer, Indianapolis (2)
ILB -- Daryl Washington, Arizona (2)
CB -- Devin McCourty, New England (1)
CB -- Joe Haden, Cleveland (1)
SS -- Eric Berry, Kansas City (1)
FS -- Earl Thomas, Seattle (1)
Special teams
K -- Clint Stitser, Cincinnati (FA)
P -- Zolton Mesko, New England (5)
KR -- Jacoby Ford, Oakland (4)
KC -- T.J. Ward, Cleveland (2)
2010 DRAFT SCOREBOARD
Here’s a chart of the 2010 NFL draft listing the number of picks by each team last April, the number of draftees who made the team, the number of draftees who became primary starters (8 games or more), the total number of starts by the rookie class, and finally the number of draft picks placed on reserve lists:
Team................Picks.......Roster............Starters........Starts........IR
N. England...........12.............8...................4...............57...........0
Kansas City...........7.............6...................2................51..........1
Tampa Bay............9 ............4...................4................50..........4
Oakland................9.............9...................4................49..........0
Denver.................9.............8...................3................43..........0
San Francisco........8.............8...................2................42..........0
St. Louis..............11.............7..................2................37...........2
Detroit..................6.............5...................2................35..........0
Philadelphia...........13............8...................1................34..........4
Cleveland...............8............5...................1................32..........1
Indianapolis............8............6...................3................28...........1
Seattle..................9............7...................2................27..........1
Carolina................10............9...................2................26..........1
Jacksonville............6.............4...................2................25..........2
Miami....................8.............5...................2................25..........1
Green Bay..............7.............4...................1................21..........3
Houston.................9............6....................1...............20...........2
Arizona..................7.............6...................1................19..........0
Atlanta..................7.............5...................1................19..........2
Pittsburgh.............10.............8...................1................17..........0
Cincinnati...............9.............6...................1................15...........1
Tennessee..............9.............6...................1................14..........1
Washington.............6.............4...................1................13..........0
Chicago..................6.............4...................1................12..........1
Minnesota...............8.............4...................0................12..........1
New Orleans............6.............4...................0.................9...........0
San Diego...............6.............3...................1.................9...........1
NY Jets..................4.............4...................0.................8............0
Buffalo...................9.............6...................0.................7............2
Baltimore................7.............5...................0.................4............2
Dallas....................7..............3..................0.................3............3
NY Giants...............7..............5..................0.................0............2
