Even the Bear knows RGIII is the real deal (Patrick Green / Icon SMI)

2012 NFL Rookies and Commentary

Key additions made in the NFL Draft

Original Release: July 15, 2012

With a new NFL season brings fresh faces in the form of NFL rookies. Nothing seems to generate more excitement in the fantasy football world than the sight of college headliners bringing their game to the NFL. But be sure to proceed with caution, as the adjustment to the NFL can be a slow one, and most NFL rookies bring considerable risk to the table for your fantasy football draft. Having said that, there are always a few rookies that break through to fantasy relevance, some developing into big time fantasy factors (See our NFL Rookie Fantasy Football Draft Strategy article to help stack the fantasy odds in your favor). Before you can start putting together any kind of NFL rookie draft strategy together, you need to know who the meaningful, new faces are to the 2012 fantasy landscape at the key fantasy positions of RB, QB, WR, and TE.

With that in mind, the Docs have compiled a handy list highlighting significant NFL rookies taken in the 2012 NFL Draft. To help draw a little more attention to NFL rookies with upside in 2012 to be an impact fantasy football player, we have highlighted those players with a yellow background; however, all players on this list have the potential to emerge depending on how the season unfolds. The NFL Team, college, and height & weight of each NFL rookie is listed, as well as a brief comment providing some additional insight for each player.

Table Key:
Yellow Background - NFL rookies with upside and breakout potential for 2012.

Significant 2012 NFL Rookies

Pos. Pick Player NFL Team College Height Weight Comment RB 3   Trent Richardson Cleveland Alabama 5'9" 228   Complete RB and playmaker RB 31   Doug Martin Tampa Bay Boise State 5'9" 223   3 down RB that could takeover RB 32   David Wilson New York Giants Virginia Tech 5'10" 206   Will get chances w/ Jacobs gone RB 50   Isaiah Pead St. Louis Cincinnati 5'10" 197   Shifty & quick w/ good hands RB 61   LaMichael James San Francisco Oregon 5'8" 194   Joins crowded backfield in SF RB 67   Ronnie Hillman Denver San Diego St. 5'9" 200   Entered as Jr.; could surprise RB 84   Bernard Pierce Baltimore Temple 6'0" 218   Adds depth; no threat to Rice RB 97   Lamar Miller Miami Miami 5'11" 212   Homerun threat with speed RB 106   Robert Turbin Seattle Utah State 5'10" 222   2nd rd talent with size RB 128   Rhett Ellison Minnesota USC 6'5" 251   Huge FB joins the Vikings RB 159   Chris Rainey Pittsburgh Florida 5'8" 180   Track star brings change of pace RB 170   Vick Ballard Indianapolis Mississippi St. 5'10" 219   Definitely need more cowbell                 QB 1   Andrew Luck Indianapolis Stanford 6'4" 234   Reason Manning is in DEN QB 2   Robert Griffin III Washington Baylor 6'2" 223   Heisman winner w/ electric play QB 8   Ryan Tannehill Miami Texas A&M 6'4" 221   WR turned QB QB 22   Brandon Weeden Cleveland Oklahoma State 6'4" 221   Should start; Old rookie (28 yrs) QB 57   Brock Osweiler Denver Arizona State 6'7" 242   "Project" / Manning to teach QB 75   Russell Wilson Seattle Wisconsin 5'11" 204   Undersized; Gruden loves him                 WR 5   Justin Blackmon Jacksonville Oklahoma State 6'1" 207   2x Biletnikoff Award for best WR WR 13   Michael Floyd Arizona Notre Dame 6'3" 220   Great complement to Fitzgerald WR 20   Kendall Wright Tennessee Baylor 5'10" 196   Instant deep threat for TN WR 30   A.J. Jenkins San Francisco Illinois 6'0" 192   Vertical threat with 4.39 speed WR 33   Brian Quick St. Louis Appalachian St. 6'3" 220   Owens-like for team needing WR WR 43   Stephen Hill New York Jets Georgia Tech 6'4" 215   Poor man's Calvin Johnson WR 45   Alshon Jeffery Chicago South Carolina 6'4" 230   Gave SEC defenses fits WR 54   Ryan Broyles Detroit Oklahoma 5'10" 192   Detroit is deep at WR WR 63   Rueben Randle New York Giants LSU 6'4" 210   Left as Jr. and still developing WR 69   T.J. Graham Buffalo N.C. State 5'11" 188   Fast, but reach for BUF WR 83   Mohamed Sanu Cincinnati Rutgers 6'2" 211   Joins team desperate at WR WR 92   T.Y. Hilton Indianapolis Florida Int. 5'10" 183   Dual threat in kick return WR 96   Chris Givens St. Louis Wake Forest 5'11" 198   Quick, vertical threat WR 104   Joe Adams Carolina Arkansas 5'11" 179   Electric in slot & return game WR 118   Jarius Wright Minnesota Arkansas 5'10" 182   Very quick with speed WR 134   Greg Childs Minnesota Arkansas 6'3" 219   Could surprise if knee OK                 TE 34   Coby Fleener Indianapolis Stanford 6'6" 247   Joins college QB Luck in IND TE 64   Dwayne Allen Indianapolis Clemson 6'3" 255   2011 Mackey Award for best TE TE 78   Michael Egnew Miami Missouri 6'5" 252   Great pass catcher & athlete TE 116   Charles Orson Cincinnati Georgia 6'2" 251   Good blocker & safety valve