NFL Mocks is going to do a team by team look at what rookies have the potential to contribute during their first season.  Every year there are countless rookies that have major and minor impacts.  Everyone expects the 1st round picks to make an impact but we hope to point out some other players that may help your favorite team win games.
The Panthers have a lot of promising talent [...]

NFC South
Atlanta Falcons
Grade: C-
Players: 1st Sean Weatherspoon- LB- Missouri, 3rd Corey Peters- DT- Kentucky, 3rd Mike Johnson- OG- Alabama, 4th Joseph Hawley- OG- UNLV, 5th Dominique Franks- CB- Oklahoma, 5th Kerry Meier- WR- Kansas, 5th Shann Schillinger- S- Montana
Thoughts: This isn’t the flashyiest of drafts but the Falcons addressed needs and added depth.  Sean Weatherspoon should start from day 1 and is an immediate upgrade.   He is a tackling machine that brings athleticism to the linebacking core.  Corey adds beef to the defensive line rotation and Mike Johnson has depth and insurance against injury.  Dominique Franks was a good value [...]

The big name quarterbacks are all off the board. Jimmy Clausen and Colt McCoy remained available longer than most suspected, but they finally found a home and both seem to be in situations where they will have every chance to succeed.
In a passing league, where the quarterback is arguably the most important position on a team, teams are always on the lookout for a second, or from now on third day, pick who may be that diamond in the rough. Tom Brady was a sixth round pick. Kurt Warner was not even drafted. Both are [...]

Weekend Of Upsets
Three of the top six went down this weekend with each losing to an unranked team. 4th ranked Ole Miss was defeated by South Carolina, 5th ranked Penn State was beaten by Iowa for the seventh time in six games and 6th ranked California was destroyed by Oregon 42-3.
While many were very surprised by these outcomes, I don’t think any of these upsets should have shocked anyone. Ole Miss was overhyped from the get-go. They had a pretty good team last season, but still lost four games, but they did win two huge games in 2008. They were [...]