With the Super Bowl a couple of weeks away, it’s time to look at the top NFL rookies from this past season and where they ranked in Rivals.com history. Today we look at Nos. 7-9.
NFL ROOKIES: Nos. 10-12 | 13-15
FRESHMAN 15: Nos. 1-3 | 4-6 | 7-9 | 10-12 | 13-15
FARRELL 50: Nos. 1-5 | 6-10 | 11-15 | 16-20 | 21-25 | 26-30 | 31-35 | 36-40 | 41-45 | 46-50
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9. Phillip Lindsay, BroncosÂ
The skinny: Lindsey gave his commitment to Colorado almost a year before his own signing day. He chose the Buffs over Utah and never wavered on his word. At Colorado, he excelled during his final two seasons with 2, 726 yards and 30 touchdowns on the ground, plus 750 yards and two touchdowns receiving. After going undrafted, Lindsay became one of the feel-good stories of the season as he led the Broncos rushing attack with 1,037 yards and nine touchdowns.
Farrell’s take: Lindsay was a low three-star recruit coming out of high school who lacked great size but was slippery and had some speed. He had a solid career in college, but I don’t think many expected him to make this kind of impact in the NFL this early.
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8. Leighton Vander Esch, CowboysÂ
The skinny: Coming from a tiny town in Idaho, Vander Esch actually played eight-man football in high school before walking on at Boise State. After totaling 47 tackles in 2015 and 2016, Vander Esch exploded in 2017 with 141 tackles, 8.5 tackles for loss and four sacks. Not a great deal of fanfare followed Vander Esch to the NFL, but he quickly showed that he was a unique talent in Dallas. Finishing with 140 tackles, two tackles for a loss and two interceptions, he was one of the main factors in Dallas’ improved defense.
Farrell’s take: Vander Esch had a Rivals profile which is a miracle in its own right, but we never saw him or evaluated him.
MORE BOISE STATE: Blue-Turf.com
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7. ROQUAN SMITH, BEARSÂ
The skinny: Smith, who took official visits to Georgia, Michigan, UCLA, Texas A&M and USC, initially committed to the Bruins on signing day, but never faxed over his letter of intent. Upon finding out that his recruiting coach, Jeff Ulbrich, was leaving the Bruins, Smith decided to take a step back and finally committed to the Bulldogs almost two weeks later. Smith became Georgia’s unquestioned leader on defense while becoming one of the top linebackers in the country. With the Bears, despite missing a majority of training camp due to contract disagreements, he quickly hit his stride and finished with 121 tackles, eight tackles for loss, five sacks and an interception.
Farrell’s take: The best pure tackler in the nation, Smith had an amazing final year in college. When he decided not to head West and delayed his process, I didn’t think a ton of it. While I thought he was good and a Rivals100 prospect, he was undersized and I wasn’t sold on how effective he would be at the next level. Man, was I wrong. He’s an absolute terror, a quick-twitch kid who has added good size and the Bears saw a need filled in the top 10 with this pick. They hit a home run.
