NFL's Top 10 Rookies

NFL's Top 10 Rookies — page 1 — Introduction The The National Football League NFL has lots of great players Some of them have to wait for their chance to make big plays But some do it as soon as they get to the NFL A rookie can help his team in many ways He can make big plays or score lots of touchdowns He might set records and do things no one has seen before Most rookies aren't expected to have a huge impact on their new teams Pro football is much different from the college game Even a first round draft pick needs to learn new rules and a new playbook And he has to adapt to the faster pace and better athletes he'll face in the NFL But some players are ready for that challenge from the start They stand out from the crowd the moment they step onto the field Read on to learn more about the NFL's top 10 rookies of all time

NFL's Top 10 Rookies — page 2

NFL's Top 10 Rookies — page 3 — 10 Edgerrin James was a huge part of the Colts offense in 1999 Edgerrin James The The Indianapolis Colts finished the 1998 season with a 3 13 record Future Hall of Fame running back Marshall Faulk left the team to join the St Louis Rams The Colts needed a replacement to join second year quarterback Peyton Manning and another rising star wide receiver Marvin Harrison The Colts selected Edgerrin James with the fourth overall pick of the 1999 NFL Draft Some fans were surprised they passed on another star running back Heisman Trophy winner Ricky Williams James quickly proved the Colts right He rushed for 112 yards and a touchdown in his first game It was the first of his 10 games that season with at least 100 rushing yards an NFL rookie record The Colts won nine of those games James became a workhorse for Indianapolis He led the NFL in rushing attempts carrying the ball 369 times Only one other Colts running back carried the ball all year Keith Elias had just 13 rushing attempts James led the NFL with 1 553 rushing yards in the regular season He finished with 13 touchdowns He added 62 catches for 586 yards and four touchdowns James finished second behind

NFL's Top 10 Rookies — page 4 — Faulk with 2,139 total yards from scrimmage That mark was second all time by a rookie James's efforts didn't go unnoticed He was named the NFL's Offensive Rookie of the Year and was chosen to play in the Pro Bowl And thanks in part to James's big season the Colts finished 13 3 and went to the playoffs

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