Comparing the 2018 Denver Broncos rookies vs. 2017 New Orleans Saints

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DENVER, CO – NOVEMBER 25: Phillip Lindsay #30 of the Denver Broncos carries the ball against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Broncos Stadium at Mile High on November 25, 2018 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images) /

It’s difficult to get an impactful rookie class in the NFL, but the 2018 Denver Broncos and 2018 New Orleans Saints struck gold.

It’s not easy to find a balanced rookie class in the NFL today. It’s also not easy to find players who can come in and make an instant impact at a variety of positions.

It’s hard enough for teams to find just one or two rookies to compete for starting jobs throughout the course of their rookie contract, but for the Denver Broncos and New Orleans Saints, the past two draft classes have been very prosperous.

Though the Saints have been better than the Broncos as a team over the past two years, the two teams have done an excellent job of involving and developing their rookies, getting them ready to make an impact right away.

This post will not focus on which class is ‘better’ between the 2017 Saints and the 2018 Broncos, but rather simply looking at the way these teams set a new, very high standard in the NFL for identifying players capable of coming in and contributing right away as opposed to needing a ton of development.

2017 New Orleans Saints rookie class

1a. Marshon Lattimore, CB, Ohio State (Defensive rookie of the year)
1b. Ryan Ramczyk, OT, Wisconsin (starting right tackle)
2. Marcus Williams, S, Utah (starting free safety)
3a. Alvin Kamara, RB, Tennessee (Offensive rookie of the year)
3b. Alex Anzalone, LB, Florida (starting linebacker)
3c. Trey Hendrickson, DE, Florida Atlantic (backup defensive end)
6. Al-Quaddin Muhammad, DE, Miami (with Colts)

Notable undrafted players: TE Dan Arnold (backup TE)

2018 Denver Broncos rookie class

1. Bradley Chubb, DE, North Carolina State (leads rookies in sacks)
2. Courtland Sutton, WR, SMU (starting WR, leads rookies in YPC)
3a. Royce Freeman, RB, Oregon (second on team in rushing TDs, backup RB)
3b. Isaac Yiadom, CB, Boston College (number three CB, starting with Chris Harris out)
4a. Josey Jewell, LB, Iowa (number three LB, starting with Brandon Marshall out)
4b. DaeSean Hamilton, WR, Penn State (number three WR, number two with Emmanuel Sanders hurt)
5. Troy Fumagalli, TE, Wisconsin (placed on IR before season)
6a. Sam Jones, OL, Arizona State (backup iOL)
6b. Keishawn Bierria, LB, Washington (core special teams player)
7. David Williams, RB, Arkansas (with Jaguars)

Notable undrafted players: RB Phillip Lindsay (among league leaders in rushing); P Colby Wadman, OLB Jeff Holland

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