Halfway point of the season - who is our best rookie so far?

[fnordcircle]

We're getting a lot of play out of our rookies and some of them are really coming up big. Sitting here thinking about it I'm having a hard time figuring out who has been the best out of the bunch.

Right now I think I'm torn between Ryan and Jones. Dobson and Thompkins have been a little inconsistent but Ryan especially has become more and more solid as the weeks wore on. Also got to give a shout out to Ryan Allen.

I think I'd have to go with Ryan as the guy who has been consistently improving more than any other rookie.

 

[signbabybrady]

My vote goes to Logan Ryan.

 

[TruthSeeker]

Mine went to Ryan Allen, he's near a Pro Bowl punter already. This is a wonderful rookie crop though, BB is great at finding undrafted free agents (Thomkins, Vellano) or rookie free agents (Jones), and our draftees, Dobson, Allen and Logan Ryan look really good.

 

[Whitt25]

Thompkins. All day.

 

[Onedaful]

Instant difference when Ryan was injected into the defense this week. My vote goes for him. But I can't forget about Jones sacks.. And Thompkins, Dobson have been great for rookies. Allen has been amazing as our punter.. I dont know its a toss up everyone has been pretty good.

 

[PatsBoy12]

Let's give some love to C. Jones. It would have easily been Logan Ryan had he played more this season. He has shown in the preseason and spot duty during the regular season that he is a playmaker. After those two, sadly, there's a huge drop off in rookie production for various reasons.

EDIT: Vellano has played well at times too.

 

[Rob0729]

I would say Jones. He is a full time starter and since he cracked in the starting line up and leads the league in sacks for rookies.

Vellano might be the most underrated.

Ryan has been great, but he is still a back up.

Dobson and Thompkins have shown flashes, but have not been consistent enough.

Allen has been great, but still is a punter.

Overall, this is shaping up to be a very good rookie class.

 

[102 Pat]

Logan Ryan...complete turnaround when he replaced Cole...

Sentiment wise, Thompkins, I was at the Saints game and it was my first time seeing a Pats win live after 3 previous losing games.

 

[PatsBoy12]

Thompkins. All day.

Maybe . . . before today.

 

[PatsBoy12]

Logan Ryan...complete turnaround when he replaced Cole...

Sentiment wise, Thompkins, I was at the Saints game and it was my first time seeing a Pats win live after 3 previous losing games.

No disrespect intended, but this seems a bit like a "prisoner of the moment" mentality. Chris Jones has played more and has been way more consistent, even if only because he has played more snaps. With that said, I look for Logan Ryan to play more going forward after today's game. He was a damn beast for much of the game and especially in the second half. We found something special, I truly believe that.

 

[Archeryaddict12]

Dobson for me. He came up huge today IMO.
Dobson is our stud outside receiver.

But it's hard to choose when thompkins, jones, vellano, Logan Ryan and Ryan Allen have all be great.

 

[102 Pat]

No disrespect intended, but this seems a bit like a "prisoner of the moment" mentality. Chris Jones has played more and has been way more consistent, even if only because he has played more snaps. With that said, I look for Logan Ryan to play more going forward after today's game. He was a damn beast for much of the game and especially in the second half. We found something special, I truly believe that.

No worries, exactly why I said sentiment wise, such an amazing moment, been 3 years next month since my Mom got sick and all the stuff that happened since...

 

[Ozymandias]

Tough decision to make. I find that incredibly exciting that they have so much promising rookie talent.

My pick would have to be Ryan Allen. He's been the most consistent of all these rookies from week 1 until now (Chris Jones has only been around a few weeks even though he's been playing well). Allen looks like the best rookie punter I've seen in quite some time.

In terms of positional play, I think Allen is better at his position than the rest of the rookies. Field position is vital in the NFL, and Allen has done an outstanding job so far for a rookie, often times flipping the field completely. That alone shouldn't go unnoticed.

 

[PATSNUTme]

Why isn't there an option: BB can't draft and the best rookies are the ones that the Patriots didn't draft.?

 

[Sciz]

I think Ryan Allen so far. We've seen contributions from quite a few other rookies, but Allen is the only guy to contribute to every game so far.

 

[YearbookCurfew]

Ryan Allen has been a fantastic replacement for Mesko. I vote for him.

 

[livinginthe past]

Chris Jones has been a real difference maker - the middle of the D has been ripped out - him and Vellano have been playing out of their skins with very little in the way experienced vets lining up beside them.

Its great to see a Patriots DT who has the ability to chase down runners/QB's and shut down some of those broken plays that seem to kill us.

And this guy is right at the beginning of his learning curve......

 

[patsfan-1982]

Chris Jones has been one of the best pass rushing DT's in the NFL so my vote goes to him

 

[FrodoBagginz]

Thompkins for me. Although I am probably not thinking straight on it because I vote for him simply because of the Saints game. I'm still trembling over that Saints game. That last catch gave me excitement I hadn't experienced in a while.

 

[RayClay]

I'd have to split it Vellano/Jones. Tremendous task to replace two all pros. Vellano longer and steady, Jones more potential. A Punter's a punter. Great job but doesn't compare IMO. Logan for a few weeks. The receivers for hanging in there, but no consistency from either.